Archive | 1999

Issue No. 75

I. SPARC NEWS

1. AMDAHL CORPORATION CHOOSES THE ON-LINE! DETECTIVE

2. RAVE SYSTEMS RACKMOUNT-AXMP NOW FEATURES FOUR-WAY MULTI-PROCESSING POWERED BY 400MHZ ULTRASPARC-II WITH 4MB CACHE AND 4 GIGABYTE OF MEMORY.

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN DECEMBER

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – AMDAHL CORPORATION CHOOSES THE ON-LINE! DETECTIVE

Detroit, MI – Amdahl Corporation, a Sun MicrosystemsTM Preferred Service provider, has chosen the On-Line! Detective® for Sun, to bolster its Sun field support.

Amdahl’s field service organization has recently deployed the On-Line! Detective for Sun throughout the country. The Detective will raise the level of Sun expertise among Amdahl’s staff, while simultaneously minimizing the time it takes to resolve critical troubleshooting issues. “The Detective is an excellent troubleshooting and teaching tool for our technicians,” states Lanny Jennings, Amdahl Regional Director. “System Administrators will find it a great tool for diagnosing Sun problems.”

Amdahl is a manufacturer of SPARC® imbedded products and one of the few organizations authorized to support the Sun Ultra Enterprise 10000 Server.

SoftTech Solutions is a leading software developer of on-line support tools servicing the UNIX marketplace. SoftTech’s On-Line! Detective for Sun provides hardware diagnostics, configurations, and troubleshooting information for Sun Microsystems hardware, software and peripherals. To receive information on the Detective or to view a demo, access their website at www.stsolutions.com, or call Mike Neff (248) 738-7738.

I. B. – RAVE SYSTEMS RACKMOUNT-AXMP NOW FEATURES FOUR-WAY MULTI-PROCESSING POWERED BY 400MHZ ULTRASPARC-II WITH 4MB CACHE AND 4 GIGABYTE OF MEMORY.

Sterling Heights, MI–December 17, 1999–Rave Computer Association, Inc, announces that its Rave Systems RackMount-AXmp now features more memory for exceptional processing performance. The memory capacity of the AXmp system has been scaled from maximum of 2 gigabyte of memory to a maximum of 4 gigabyte of memory.

The Rave Systems RackMount-AXmp is a powerful multi-processing server designed for todays highly compute-intensive server challenges. Rave Computer Association, Inc., an authorized Sun value-added system integrator, integrates Suns UltraAXmp motherboard into a ruggedized 5U 19 inch rackmount chassis. The UltraAXmp is a scalable 64-bit UltraSPARC multi-processing motherboard with a unique Ultra Port Architecture that enables the aggregate CPU bus bandwidth to be increased to 3.2 gigabytes per second via a custom cross bar switch. This large processor bandwidth enables scaling of up to four UltraSPARC-II microprocessor modules (currently shipping at 400Mhz with 4MB cache). The system also has integrated dual-channel Ultra-wide SCSI and six PCI slots, four at 33Mhz and two at 66Mhz. The Rave Systems RackMount-AXmp standard chassis configurations feature four 5.25 shock-mounted drive bays, a 600-Watt power supply and three 90-CFM cooling fans.

Rave Systems RackMount-AXmp also comes pre-installed with Solaris 2.7 and is binary compatible with the broad array of current SPARC applications. Rave Computer provides a one-year warranty on all of its Rave Systems.

The powerful multiprocessing features found in Rave Systems RackMount-Axmp makes it an ideal solution for telecommunication servers, ISP applications or specialized industrial applications.

More information about Rave Computer and Rave Systems can be found on the worldwide web at www.rave.net or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN DECEMBER

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the “SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD).” This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products. To view the master list, please access our web site at www.sparc.org or send email to info@sparc.org.

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 74

I. SPARC News!

1. MEMBERS BANNER AD PROGRAM

2. BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP IN SPARC INTERNATIONAL, INC.

3. PREMIER MULTIPROCESSOR HITS ELITE MARKET

4. SOLARIS CENTRAL IS 1 YEAR OLD

5. U S SOFTWARE RELEASES CD-ROM DRIVER AND ISO9660 FILE SYSTEM FOR USFILES(R) FILE SYSTEM

6. RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC., AWARDS WINNER A RAVE SYSTEMS RACKMOUNT-2UAXI AT FALL ISPCON 99

7. SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC. ANNOUNCED SOLARIS™ 7

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN NOVEMBER

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – MEMBERS BANNER AD PROGRAM

SPARC International is pleased to announce a new marketing program for our members. This program — Banner Advertising — provides our members wishing to participate, a very cost effective way of augmenting their marketing efforts. By placing your banners on selected pages on our web site the number of impressions, or “adviews” as they are now called, will be logged daily with statistics provided on a monthly basis or as often as you request. The “click throughs” will be those who click on your banner and thereby go directly to your site.

Having expanded our web site readership with cooperative programs,other service oriented organizations and increasing the current news from the SPARC Community, we are able to offer this focused market service for the following prices;

It should be noted that the readership of our web site is growing each month with over triple the readership since the beginning of this year.

All you need to do is send us a purchase order via fax, mail or email along with your banner in either “gif” or “jpeg” format to; chery@sparc.org

That’s all it takes to have you up and running! You may update your banners as often as you wish. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact us. We look forward to your participation in this program!

I. B. – BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP IN SPARC INTERNATIONAL, INC.

It’s that time, once again, to remind our members of the benefits of membership in SPARC International. Following is a list set forth to remind you of what is included in your membership package;

1. Use of SI Member Logo.

The Member Logo represents a visible emblem of each member Company’s “corporate identity”. Our members are viewed with high standards of quality, technological leadership, management character, and even corporate personality that make members distinctive entities in the electronics industry and allied fields. This business credibil ity represents a powerful sales tool in the marketplace.

We furnish your marketing department with all of the information needed to properly attribute our world famous SPARC mark including recommendations to use our Member Logo for;

• Booth Signage at Trade Shows (Member signs are available for booth display)

• Corporate Press Releases Letterhead

• Newspaper or Magazine Articles/Advertisements

• Corporate Brochures, Business Cards, Advertisements

• Promotional Items such as Buttons & Sweatshirts, etc.

2. Company page in the SPARC Intl. Website, <<a href=”https://sparc.org”>www.sparc.org> linked to your Company Website.

Potential sales leads resulting from this added exposure speaks for itself. SI’ web site activity has increased three times the amount since the beginning of 1999 alone. Web hit counts are provided upon request.

3. Use of the SPARC Driven(SM) Servicemark on your web site.

4. SPARC-FLASH Monthly Electronic Newsletter

Product announcements, and Press releases may be placed in SPARC-FLASH if received no later than the 28th of each and any month.

SPARC-FLASH’s ever growing list of over 1500 is a focused mailing to those with particular interest in the SPARC market and is distributed worldwide.

Are you utilizing your benefits? Need help? Contact us: <<a href=”mailto:nev@sparc.org”>nev@sparc.org> <<a href=”mailto:cheryl@sparc.org”>cheryl@sparc.org>, <<a href=”mailto:karen@sparc.org”>karen@sparc.org>

I. C. – PREMIER MULTIPROCESSOR HITS ELITE MARKET

Palo Alto, CA–November 2, 1999–Sun Microsystems, Inc. is aiming directly at the sweet spot of the high-end workstation market with its new premier multiprocessor capable workstation. The new Ultra[tm] 80 workstation, which can be configured with up to four processors and 4GB of memory, runs the most advanced graphics applications and today’s larger datasets easily, and provides investment protection via support for Sun’s next two generations of graphics. Technical computing users in the EDA, earth sciences, satellite imagery, MCAD and financial services industries can harness the raw power of this system to build, view and manipulate increasingly complex models, datasets and simulations. In addition, Sun continues to drive value by reducing prices on its popular Ultra 60 workstation by up to 18 percent and by building new features into the Solaris[tm] Operating Environment desktop software.

“Customers such as those in the EDA space are demanding as much memory and processor power as we can send their way,” said Ken Okin, vice president and general manager of Workstation Products, Sun Microsystems, Inc. “From the Ultra 5 to the Ultra 80 workstation, Sun’s workstation lineup enables users to select the best desktop for their needs. The new Ultra 80 model solidifies Sun’s position in the elite high-performance graphics and compute-intensive markets.”

I. D. – SOLARIS CENTRAL IS 1 YEAR OLD

Sun Microsystems started its first internet news service way back in 1988. It was called the Florida SunFlash and was distributed by email. In fact many of the news services which cover the Sun market also started pre-web including SPARC International’s SPARC-FLASH. During the last few years many independent news services have appeared on the web covering various aspects of the computer systems market. Because I talk to manufacturers directly, often before they write their press releases, I was never very interested in these news sites. But a year ago, I was contacted by Duane Gran who was setting up Solaris Central – an independent site for Sun related software news. I never had enough time to look at the software side of this market. I liked what I saw in Solaris Central, and got hooked. Solaris Central recently passed its first 12 months anniversary. In that short time, it has eclipsed all other sites with the quality and presentation of Sun related software market news for busy readers. Duane is a modest guy and doesn’t say too much about his background on the site so I asked him some questions to share with his readers. To read about this interview go to <<a href=”http://www.sparcproductdirectory.com/solcent-1.html”>www.sparcproductdirectory.com/solcent-1.html>.

I. E. – U S SOFTWARE RELEASES CD-ROM DRIVER AND ISO9660 FILE SYSTEM FOR USFILES(R) FILE SYSTEM

USFiles is a DOS/Win95 compatible file system that has been designed to target processor and RTOS independent. USFiles can operate in a stand-alone mode and because it is reentrant, it supports multitasking RTOSs such as our SuperTask! and uITRON compliant TronTask! products. USFiles also supports standard ANSI C file I/O function calls. Source code is included and there are no royalties.

USFiles for CD-ROM includes ATAPI CD-ROM driver and ISO9660 compliant file system. It enables embedded developers to add CD-ROM drive and ISO9660 CD-ROM file system very easily.

“The demand for embedded file systems is growing so rapidly. This will continue as PCs become more pervasive, requiring embedded applications to exchange data with PCs seamlessly.” says Tomoyuki Uda, Product Marketing Manager with U S Software.

“Today’s embedded applications require a variety ofvarious storage media such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CompactFlash and so on, but after all, data transparency between storage devicesthem and the PC is most important. We can sasisfysatisfyssily those needs by delivering USFiles for CD-ROM and other up-and-coming upcoming new drivers.”

USFiles is unique in a way that it can be used with any CPU and RTOS. The embedded file system market has grown significantly over the last two years, making the file system one of the most critical software components in the embedded software. USFiles already supports hHard disk, floppy disks, RAM disk and CompactFlash driver, and U S Software will keep adding new storage devices to offer bring the complete file system solutions.

“At U S Software, we’ve earned a reputation for providing reliable products that are compact, extremely fast, and easy to implement. For over twenty years we have provided solutions for thousands of embedded applications. Our products, which support all major embedded microprocessors, include: SuperTask!(R) real-time operating system, TronTask!(R) multitasking kernel compatible with ITRON, SuperPeg portable embedded GUI, USNET(R) embedded TCP/IP protocol suite, Embedded Web Server small footprint HTTP web server, NetPeer embedded desktop interface and distributed operating environment, USFiles(R) processor and RTOS independent Win95/DOS compatible file system, GOFAST(R) floating point libraries, Soft-Scope(R) remote-target debugger, CSi-Mon” target-resident monitor, and USLink(R) embedded application linker/locator.”

USNET, SuperTask!, TronTask!, USFiles, GOFAST, USLINK, and Soft-Scope are registered trademarks of United States Software Corporation. NetPeer and CSi-Mon are trademarks of United States Software Corporation. All other trademarks belong to their respective holders.

For more informatin contact U S Software; Phone: Phone: (800) 356-7097, (503) 844-6614, Fax: (503) 844-6480 Email: <<a href=”mailto:info@ussw.com”>info@ussw.com>.

I. F. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC., AWARDS WINNER A RAVE SYSTEMS RACKMOUNT-2UAXI AT FALL ISPCON 99

Sterling Heights, MI–November 23, 1999–The multitude of attendees who visited Rave Computer Association’s booth during the Fall ISPCON 99 show held at the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California during the week of October 26th through 28th, received an opportunity to register to win a Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi.

At the show, Rave Computer Association, Inc., a Sun authorized Master value-added integrator, displayed a Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi inside booth 2043. Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi featured Sun UltraAXi motherboard integrated into Raves’ sleek 19 inch 2U rackmount chassis. Suns UltraAXi motherboard has many robust features such as integrated dual-channel Ultra-wide SCSI, single ungradable UltraSPARC-IIi processors with processing speeds up to 440MHz, and two 33MHz/32-bit PCI Slots. Raves’ system supports up to 1GB of memory and has two exposed drive bays, and can accommodate up to three internal low profile 7,200 RPM or 10,000 RPM disk drives or two half height drives. Internally the chassis has six cooling fans and a 300-Watt auto-sensing power supply.

Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi is manufactured at Rave Computer’s headquarters based in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

On the last day of the Fall ISPCON show, Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi was awarded to Mr. Robert Haskins of Lowell, Massachuesetts. Mr. Haskins received a Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi with the following configurations: original UltraAXi motherboard integrated into Raves customized 19 inch 2U rackmount with a 300MHz UltraSPARC-IIi processor, 256 MB of memory, one 9.0 GB hard drive, ATI 3D charger videocard, 1.44 floppy and pre-loaded with Solaris 2.7

More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc., and its Rave Systems can be found on their web site at: < www.rave.net> or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

I. G. – SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC. ANNOUNCED SOLARIS™ 7

Palo Alto, CA–November 2, 1999–Sun Microsystems, Inc., today announced the availability of the Trusted Solaris™ 7 Operating Environment, an enhanced version of Sun’s scalable Solaris 7 Operating Environment that incorporates heightened security features for commercial and government applications. Trusted Solaris 7, the follow-on to the Trusted Solaris 2.5.1 environment, delivers 64-bit capabilities and supports the full line of SPARC™ and Intel architectures, including the Sun Enterprise[tm] 10000 server, providing enhanced performance, capacity and scalability.

“Trusted Solaris 7 reinforces Sun’s commitment to providing a secure operating environment across the enterprise,” said Thomas Kreidler, president of Sun Microsystems Federal, Inc. “We are delivering what our customers have requested: an advanced 64-bit technology that maintains complete binary compatibility with 32-bit applications in a security-enhanced environment. The Trusted Solaris 7 Operating Environment provides the computer security our customers need to secure their firewalls, communications gateways, web and commerce servers, guards and databases.”

The Trusted Solaris 7 Operating Environment Mandatory Access Control (MAC) feature allows organizations, including banks and financial institutions, to process information at multiple-sensitivity levels. MAC labels correspond to the sensitivity levels of information, allowing data to be maintained separately in a single system according to each user’s need to know. Therefore, a bank internal system can be configured using Trusted Solaris 7 so a bank clerk may view a customer balance while a loan officer can access only the credit record.

“We are very pleased the commercial banking and finance community has embraced the Trusted Solaris 7 Operating Environment as the foundation of their e-commerce solutions. We have several customers who rely on this environment to protect their customers’ most sensitive information during e-commerce transactions,” said Chris Hurst, vice president of global sales operations for Sun Microsystems, Inc.

The Trusted Solaris 7 Operating Environment uses the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) and can be customized to satisfy various security policy requirements. It offers advanced multithreading and support for symmetric multiprocessing, giving organizations moving to Web-based computing the ability to handle an increased number of network transactions. This environment also supports the Sun line of hardware based on PCI architecture as well as new transmission mediums, including Sun ATM™, Sun FDDI™, Token Ring and Gigabit Ethernet.

Trusted Solaris offers users a trusted operating system with distributed client-server computing, along with the ease of use, power and system management available from Sun’s scalable line of products. Information can be shared throughout the entire enterprise with strict security maintained. Customers can implement a consistent enterprise-wide security policy, relying on protection within the Trusted Solaris Operating Environment, including NIS+, Trusted NFS™ and secure networking. Selected features can be enabled or disabled to configure a system that meets any site’s security and usability requirements. The Trusted Solaris 7 Operating Environment supports all UltraSPARC [tm] processor-based machines as well as a wide range of x86 based machines.

For more information vistit our web site at www.sun.com

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN OCTOBER

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the “SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD).” This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products.

SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 73

I. SPARC News!

1. SPARC INERNATIONAL WELCOMES MEMBER ATP ELECTRONICS!
2. TATUNG SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, INC. ANNOUNCES NEW RACK MOUNTABLE SYSTEM IN 2U FORM FACTOR
3. SUN DETECTIVE OFFERS MULTIMEDIA TRAINING CD
4. RED HAT AND COMPAQ PARTNER TO PROVIDE WORLDWIDE ENTERPRISE SUPPORT FOR OFFICIAL RED HAT LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM
5. TADPOLE ACQUIRES UTILITY SOFTWARE DEVELOPER CONIC SYSTEMS, CREATES ENLARGED BUSINESS UNIT FOR UTILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS MARKETS

II. VERIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN OCTOBER

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – SPARC INERNATIONAL WELCOMES MEMBER ATP ELECTRONICS!

Sunnyvale, CA–October 20, 1999–ATP Electronics joined SPARC International. ATP Electronics, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of top-performance memory products specializing in the design and manufacturer of high-end, high-density memory modules for servers, workstations, desktops,notebooks, networking and embedded systems. We pride ourselves in a highly trained engineering department capable of addressing your most sophisticated memory needs. With ATP’s expertise in the DRAM business, we’re committed to building long term business relationship with our customers by providing top-quality products and value-added services. For more information visit their web site at www.atpusa.com.

I. B. – TATUNG SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, INC. ANNOUNCES NEW RACK MOUNTABLE SYSTEM IN 2U FORM FACTOR

Milpitas, CA–Oct. 11, 1999–Tatung Science & Technology, Inc. (TSTI), celebrating more than ten years of commitment to the SPARC systems market, today unveiled the COMPstation U10-440R2U. This new Sun Ultra 10-compatible system features the 440 MHz UltraSPARC-IIi chip. Housed in a compact 2U enclosure, the rack mountable server is ideal for Web hosting, telecommunications, industrial and e-commerce environments where space is critical.

“The COMPstation U10-440R2U is specially designed for users who demand a system that can meet tight space requirements, without sacrificing performance or speed,” said Dr. Kam Chan, president of TSTI. “The server’s small chassis form factor enables users to take advantage of limited real estate by accommodating more systems in a given space.”

Compact Rack Mount Systems Designed to Meet the Needs of ISPs and OEMs

The new rack mountable, Ultra 10-compatible COMPstation U10-440R2U is configured to meet the requirements of ISPs, OEMs and industrial and communications applications. Tatung designed the system to easily and cost effectively accommodate memory and peripherals expansion.

Equipped with 2 MB of external cache, the U10-440R2U delivers a system performance of 18.7 SPECint_95* and 21.1 SPECfp_95*. The 64-bit, 440 MHz UltraSPARC-IIi processor supports two 32-bit PCI devices at 33 MHz to provide plenty of system flexibility.

The U10-440R2U features a rack mountable chassis design that conveniently fits into existing ISP server banks and adapts easily to OEM configurations. With a small footprint that is 3.5″ high x 17.25″ wide x 20″ deep, the system’s space-saving design allows for easy vertical stacking. Front panel access to CD-ROM and floppy drives facilitate upgrades and routine maintenance tasks for administrators.

The COMPstation U10-440R2U supports four drive bays suitable for two, 3.5″ hard drives (one inch thick), a 5.25″ CD-ROM drive and a 3.5″ floppy drive. Standard features consist of 128 MB of RAM, 9 GB hard drive, dual-channel Ultra-Wide SCSI built into the motherboard, two serial ports, one parallel port, Solaris 7 and a 10/100-BaseT Ethernet interface. Suggested list pricing starts at $4390 for a standard configuration.

While the COMPstation U10-440R2U comes pre-installed with Solaris 7, it also provides support for the Linux open source operating system, Apache Web Server and many other applications running on the UltraSPARC platform.

Optional features on the new server include up to 1 GB of memory, 36 GB or more of hard disk capacity and 24-bit PCI graphics.

Optional Rack Mountable RAID Storage Subsystem Increases Disk Capacity
Another option available from Tatung is an add-on disk array storage subsystem that increases hard disk capacity to 250 GB or more and makes the COMPstation U10-440R2U servers robust enough to support departmental or small enterprise Internet or Intranet applications.

Tatung Science & Technology, Inc. is the leading provider of SPARC-compatible workstations and web servers and a U.S. subsidiary of the over $4 billion, multi-national Tatung Co. Backed by more than ten years of commitment to the SPARC systems market, TSTI workstations and servers are installed at tens of thousands of user sites throughout North America. TSTI is a founding member of SPARC International.

For more information, contact Tatung Science & Technology, Inc., 1840 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035. Toll Free: 1-800-659-5902; e-mail: mkt@tsti.com, Web site: www.tsti.com.

I. C. – SUN DETECTIVE OFFERS MULTIMEDIA TRAINING CD

Waterford, MI–October 1, 1999–SoftTech Solutions announces a new multimedia automated demo for the On-Line! Detective for Sun. The demo is and excellent marketing and training tool providing individuals a quick overview of the key features and benefits of the product. The Detective is a system support software package for everyone who interfaces with Sun equipment. It provides quick and accurate information for locating and resolving Sun problems in a very intuitive fashion. The tool uses a number of navigational techniques to put information at the point of need. Key users of the Detective include system administrators, field engineers, help desk personnel and resellers of Sun equipment.

The new demo uses both sound and graphics to highlight each module of the Detective. Users receive a quick tour (each module is 1-4 minutes in length), outlining key information on specific systems, troubleshooting, part number information, and configuration rules and guidelines. The demo is instrumental in bringing new customers up-to-speed in utilizing the Detective. Individuals who spend a few minutes reviewing the demo have a very strong grasp of the benefits and functional attributes of the product.

“One of the challenges of any software company is training”, states CEO Paul Violassi, “coupling this new training tool with the On-Line! Detective, individuals raise their level of Sun competence in a very short period of time.” This has become particularly important with large corporations, such as StorageTek, AT&T, Department of Defense and others deploying the Detective throughout their service organizations.

The new demo is also providing a tremendous benefit in the marketing arena. “Technical and economic buyers are able, in a very short period, understand the features of the full Detective and make a decision on whether it is right for their organizations”, offers Michael Neff, Director of Marketing at SoftTech. SoftTech recently sent out 17,000 demo CDs through PCI’s, SunServer magazine. “The feedback and early response is very encouraging”, replies Neff.

Currently the automated demo is PC based. An interactive demo is available on SoftTech’s website at www.stsolutions.com that is downloadable on both Windows and Solaris. SoftTech is currently working on a Solaris automated demo. If you have access to a PC with a sound card, the new demo is worth a look. To contact SoftTech Solutions call (248) 738-7738 or (888) 786-4393.

I. D. – RED HAT AND COMPAQ PARTNER TO PROVIDE WORLDWIDE ENTERPRISE SUPPORT FOR OFFICIAL RED HAT LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM

Durham, N.C.—October 18, 1999—Red Hat, Inc., the leading provider of open source Linux-based operating system (OS) solutions and Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) today expanded their strategic partnership to provide call center support for enterprise users worldwide of the Official Red Hat Linux OS.

Under the agreement, Compaqs Customer Services organization, which serves hundreds of thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries worldwide, will escalate the most advanced support issues to Red Hats services and support organization. As Compaq modifies and optimizes the Red Hat Linux OS during the support process, Red Hat will evaluate and test these changes, make them available in future revisions of the OS and deliver them freely to the entire open source community under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

Compaq has one of the most powerful, worldwide call center support operations. This agreement combines Compaqs hardware and networking expertise and Red Hats superior development expertise in open source software solutions, said Bob Young, chair and CEO of Red Hat, Inc. At the same time, Compaq and its customers some of the most innovative users in the world will be contributing to the growth and development of Linux-based operating systems under the open source model. This is a perfect example of how commitments to open source by major software and hardware vendors like Compaq and Red Hat can further propel the benefits of Linux-based operating systems to enterprise organizations worldwide.

The agreement expands the relationship between Red Hat and Compaq, which included an equity investment earlier this year from Compaq and joint marketing, development and certification to maximize compatibility and interoperability with Compaqs Tru64 Unix OS and Alpha Server and Proliant server and workstations. More information on Red Hats partnership with Compaq can be found on the Web at www.redhat.com/about/1999/press_compaq.html and www.redhat.com/about/1999/press_industryleaders.html.

To support our customers ever-increasing deployment of Red Hat Linux into business critical environments, Compaq will introduce its suite of services for Red Hat Linux, said Peter Mercury, Vice President of Compaq Customer Services. With this agreement, a key building block is in place for Compaq to support customers deploying Red Hat Linux in Internet, high performance technical computing and other applications where non stop availability is required. Additionally, joint support from Compaq and Red Hat Linux will eliminate many of the finger-pointing problems customers typically face between hardware and software vendors.

Red Hat is based in Durham, N.C. and has offices worldwide. Visit Red Hat on the Web at www.redhat.com. For investor inquiries, please contact Lippert/Heilshorn at (212) 838-3777.

LINUX is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. RED HAT is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. All other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

I. E. – TADPOLE ACQUIRES UTILITY SOFTWARE DEVELOPER CONIC SYSTEMS, CREATES ENLARGED BUSINESS UNIT FOR UTILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS MARKETS

Carlsbad, CA–October 6, 1999–With the goal of becoming the mobile computing vendor of choice for the world’s utilities and telecommunications industries, Tadpole Technology today strengthened its position through the strategic acquisition of the business and certain assets and liabilities of Texas based Conic Systems Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Scottish based Conic Systems Limited for a total consideration of $1.25 million in cash.

The acquisition of Conic enables Tadpole to further extend its mobile software product offerings for the utilities and telecommunications markets, add significant new companies to its customer base, access more geographies through Conics extensive partner network, and enhance its technical skills and market coverage.

Founded in 1991, Conic is a software developer of mobile geographical information systems (GIS) and mapping solutions. Headquartered in Edinburgh, the companys customer base comprises over fifty gas, water, cable, telecommunications, national mapping and government industries, including BC Hydro (Canada), CME (Brazil), EDP (Portugal), First Energy and Texas Utilities (USA), Ordnance Survey, Scottish and Southern Energy and Northern Electric (UK). Conic has approximately 20 business partners across Europe, North America and Australasia.

Tadpole announced its Cartesia and J-Slate product family for the utilities and telecommunications markets in late April this year – a unique Java-based suite of hardware and software that allows detailed maps and job-management data to be downloaded from corporate servers via GSM or conventional phones to field workers using hand-held, diskless pen computers. With the acquisition of Conic Systems, Tadpole has extended its range of mobile computing software platforms and solutions by enabling field workers to access a wider range of GIS and CAD data allowing the utility industries to maximize their business potential from field operations, notably through improved works management, asset exploitation and inspection.

Conic’s core product is Conic GIS, which enables field workers to access, collect, verify and update spatially-related information and provides levels of customization ranging from configuration of the user interface through to tailor-made applications using Visual Basic and other tools. Conic GIS provides four graduated levels of functionality: Conic View as a map display and navigation tool, Conic Redline to redline and sketch facilities, Conic Query for database review and update, and Conic Capture to add full graphic interaction and provide the ability to link to external instrumentation and perform data analysis.

Tadpole-RDI Inc., global leader in protable UNIX workstations and servers for applications of Sun operating systems; Tadpole-Cartesia, leader in field information systems for the utilities, telecommunications and public service industries. Website: www.tadpole.com.

II. VERIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN OCTOBER

The SPARC Verified brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that the peripherals they want to use will work on the SPARC Compliant systems they target. This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Verified products. To view the master list, please go to SPARC.certified.

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 72

I. SPARC News……………!

1. NEW MARKETING PROGRAMS FROM SPARC INTERNATIONAL
2. SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES TWO NEW MEMBERS!
3. SCSL JUST IN TIME FOR Y2K INNOVATIONS!
4. TATUNG’S NEW DUAL-PROCESSING SYSTEMS REACH 450 MHZ.
5. FUJITSU GP7000F AIMS FOR TOP OF THE CLASS
6. US SOFTWARE ANNOUNCES NETPEER
7. EIS COMPUTERS INTRODUCES NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE, VERY LOW PROFILE SERVER FOR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS
8. RAVE SYSTEMS RACKMOUNT-2UAXI TO BE DEMONSTRATED AT ISPCON FALL RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC.
9. EMPRESS RDBMS HOT SWAP REPLICATION FOR EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
10. RED HAT ANNOUNCES RED HAT LINUX 6.1, LATEST VERSION OF LEADING OPEN SOURCE SERVER OPERATING SYSTEM

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN SEPTEMBER

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – NEW MARKETING PROGRAMS FROM SPARC INTERNATIONAL

Santa Clara, CA–September 30, 1999–SPARC International announces two new programs to assist our members in expanding their marketing programs.

First, we are now offering banner advertisements on our home and index pages which will direct prospects and existing customers directly to your home page. Just discussing the possibility with some members has resulted in two pre-announcement orders for this valuable service. As you probably know, this method of advertising has been shown to be a far more cost effective means as opposed to those in the print media since it is directed to a specific audience. Please contact Nev Griffin; nev@sparc.org for details.

Secondly, SPARC International has secured a substantial number of web site addresses which include the words “SPARC” as well as additional ones with “Linux”, etc. These are now available to our members at a nominal cost that can serve as a home site for a specific product line offering. Once again, contact Nev Griffin for details.

I. B. -SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES TWO NEW MEMBERS!

Oragne, CA–September 9, 1999–Transcend Information Inc. was founded in 1988 and is a leading international brand name for memory and motherboard products. Transcend develops quality, solution-driven memory upgrades that meet industry specifications – and customer expectations. Transcend designs and manufactures all upgrades in-house, allowing total quality control from conception to product delivery. All Transcend design and manufacturing is ISO 9001/9002 certified, around the globe.

Eagan, MN–September 13, 1999–North America Systems International (NASI) was established in 1993 and is a premeir provider of integrated solutions to the midrange computer marketplace. Offerings include Business Partner alliances and value added solutions for the IBM AS/400 and RS/6000, the Hewlett Packard 9000, Sun Microsystems, and Silicon Graphics.

Graphic Systems International, a division of NASI, specializes in gigabit networking and server solutions for the prepress industry.

I. C. – SCSL JUST IN TIME FOR Y2K INNOVATIONS!

Sun’s Community Source Licensing (SCSL) initiative is a new model for licensing intellectual property. It was designed to provide a more flexible process for gaining access to technology that allows tool vendors, chip designers, commerical OEMs, universities and research organizaions access to the picoJava(TM), SPARC(TM) V8 and V9 microprocessor source files without fees during the initial evaluation and development phases. Community members can help each other refine, extend, and improve picoJava(TM) and SPARC(TM) technologies by sharing information and test-driving the technologies without the barrier of up-front fees. Making intellectual property readily available for evaluation and early-stage development will increase the rate of innovation, allowing new products to be developed more quickly.

For detailed information regarding the SCSL program, go to our web site at www.sparc.org then follow the links below:
Program Overview
Principles
PicoJava and SPARC Technology
Licensing

I. D. – TATUNG’S NEW DUAL-PROCESSING SYSTEMS REACH 450 MHZ.

Milpitas, CA–Sept. 14, 1999–Tatung Science & Technology, Inc. (TSTI), celebrating more than 10 years of commitment to the SPARC systems market, today introduced its fastest dual-processing system to date, the COMPstation U60-2450. This new PCI-based, Sun Ultra 60-compatible system leverages the 450 MHz UltraSPARC-II microprocessor.

Tatung offers the system in both tower and rack-mount configurations. The tower supports high-end graphics and Java development applications, while the rack-mount models deliver a break through solution to the challenges experienced by today’s Internet Service Providers, OEMs, industrial, commercial, and e-commerce users.

The COMPstation U60-2450 is equipped with two 64-bit UltraSPARC-II processors, boasting impressive system performances of 19.7 SPECint_95* and 32.7 SPECfp_95*.

U60-2450: Tower Model Delivers High-Performance Graphics Support
The desktop offers sophisticated functionality and high-performance graphics, making it the preferred choice among geophysicists, CAD and MCAD/MCAE designers, animators and other graphics intensive users. The U60-2450 is especially suitable for users working with complex, interactive graphics applications where performance is critical, such as 3D modeling, medical imaging or full digital prototyping.

The desktop supports high functionality graphics and imaging APIs including Sun’s XIL, an imaging API for delivering powerful VIS (Visual Instruction Set) accelerated imaging and video functionality to applications and application developers. Users can also take advantage of OpenGL, the popular 3D graphics API for advanced graphics visualization applications.

Tatung offers flexible configurations on the COMPstation U60-2450 to meet diverse application requirements. Components and peripherals can be easily customized based on user’s requirements. Standard configurations include dual 450 MHz UltraSPARC-II processors, 128 MB of RAM, 9 GB of hard disk storage, PCI graphics card and the Solaris 7 operating system pre-installed.

The COMPstation U60-2450 supports one 33 MHz, 32-bit PCI device, two 33 MHz, 64-bit PCI devices, and one 66 MHz, 64-bit PCI device. A 64-bit UPA slot is available for add-ons such as Creator or Elite3D graphics cards. Other standard features consist of Ultra Wide SCSI, two serial ports, one parallel port, and a 100-BaseT Ethernet interface.

The tower model offers up to five drive bays for incorporating two, standard 3-1/2″ hard drives, a 5-1/4″ CD-ROM drive, a 4- or 8 mm tape drive and another device that will fit into a 5-1/4″ slot.

U60-2450R: Rack-Mount System Offers a Space-Saving Solution
The desktop offers sophisticated functionality and high-performance graphics, making it the preferred choice among geophysicists, CAD and MCAD/MCAE designers, animators and other graphics intensive users. The U60-2450 is especially suitable for users working with complex, interactive graphics applications where performance is critical, such as 3D modeling, medical imaging or full digital prototyping.

The desktop supports high functionality graphics and imaging APIs including Sun’s XIL, an imaging API for delivering powerful VIS (Visual Instruction Set) accelerated imaging and video functionality to applications and application developers. Users can also take advantage of OpenGL, the popular 3D graphics API for advanced graphics visualization applications.

Tatung offers flexible configurations on the COMPstation U60-2450 to meet diverse application requirements. Components and peripherals can be easily customized based on user’s requirements. Standard configurations include dual 450 MHz UltraSPARC-II processors, 128 MB of RAM, 9 GB of hard disk storage, PCI graphics card and the Solaris 7 operating system pre-installed.

The COMPstation U60-2450 supports one 33 MHz, 32-bit PCI device, two 33 MHz, 64-bit PCI devices, and one 66 MHz, 64-bit PCI device. A 64-bit UPA slot is available for add-ons such as Creator or Elite3D graphics cards. Other standard features consist of Ultra Wide SCSI, two serial ports, one parallel port, and a 100-BaseT Ethernet interface.

The tower model offers up to five drive bays for incorporating two, standard 3-1/2″ hard drives, a 5-1/4″ CD-ROM drive, a 4- or 8 mm tape drive and another device that will fit into a 5-1/4″ slot.

U60-2450R: Rack-Mount System Offers a Space-Saving Solution
Available in a rack-mount version, the COMPstation U60-2450R features a 19-inch rack-mountable chassis design that conveniently fits into existing ISP server banks and adapts easily to OEM, telecommunications and industrial configurations. With a small footprint that is 7 inches high, 17.25 inches wide, and 18-inches deep, the server’s design allows for easy vertical stacking and provides a solution for space-restricted environments.

Standard configurations are the same as the tower model and include dual 450 MHz UltraSPARC-II processors, 128 MB of RAM, 9 GB of hard disk storage, and the Solaris 7 operating system pre-installed. The COMPstation U60-2450R supports one 33 MHz, 32-bit PCI device, two 33 MHz, 64-bit PCI devices, and one 66 MHz, 64-bit PCI device. A 64-bit UPA slot is available for add-ons. Other standard features consist of Ultra Wide SCSI, two serial ports, one parallel port and a 100-BaseT Ethernet interface.

The COMPstation U60-2450R uses network storage and features slots for two, one-inch, 3-1/2″ drives. An optional add-on disk array storage subsystem available from Tatung, enables users to add peripherals as needed. With hard disk capacity of more than 250 GB, the disk array makes the COMPstation U60-2450R robust enough to support departmental or small enterprise Internet or intranet applications.

Available options on the rack-mount server include up to 2 GB of RAM, up to 18 GB of hard disk storage, ATM connectivity, Ultra Wide SCSI and a wide range of monitors. The U60-2450R is offered at suggested list prices starting at $16,800 for a standard rack-mount configuration.

For users who need extra storage space, Tatung also offers the COMPstation U60-2450R in other rack-mount cabinet configurations which provide support for more storage devices.

For more information, contact Tatung Science & Technology, Inc., 1840 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035. Toll Free: 1-800-659-5902; email:mkt@tsti.com Web site:www.tsti.com.

I. E. – FUJITSU GP7000F AIMS FOR TOP OF THE CLASS

Tokyo,–September 30, 1999–Fujitsu Limited today announced the global deployment of the first high availability, Integrated Data Center servers in its GP7000F Unix server range. The new GP7000F Model 2000 scales to 64 SPARC64(TM) GP processors, while the new Model 1000 scales to 32 processors. The new servers are expected to be able to achieve around 150,000 transactions per minute, with plans in the next iteration to aim for about three times this performance. All GP7000F models run the Solaris™7 operating system and provide levels of RAS (reliability availability and serviceability) normally associated with corporate mainframe systems. In addition, the larger systems will include dynamic system reconfiguration and hardware redundancy to support 24×7 operation.

Both new models introduced today enhance Fujitsu’s strategic support and commitment to the Solaris operating system while expanding the existing GP7000F series to a fully scalable server range from two-processor systems all the way to 64 processors. But the scalability will not stop there. The next step will be a 128-processor GP7000F server.

These additions to the GP7000F series pave the way for ever larger systems that will be required to service the demands of Business to Business and Business to Customer networked applications, server farms and corporate server consolidation expected to take hold in the early years of the 21st century.

Fujitsu has incorporated its own unique performance enhancement developments in these GP7000F systems. The SPARC64(TM) GP processor has higher levels of internal cache and more error detection and correction technology than previous SPARC processors. This can significantly reduce both the time processors have to wait for instructions from memory and the possibility of system failure due to parity errors. When memory and processors need to talk, they use Fujitsu’s world leading cross bar switch bus technology that runs at 40.96GB/sec. The future 128 processor systems will be able take advantage of Fujitsu’s leading edge R&D in 0.18 micron copper wire CMOS, which will soon lift this bus bandwidth to 51.2GB/s running at 200MHz.

GP7000F system compatibility with Sun UltraSPARC processors and Sun’s software development and sourcing strategy means that Fujitsu will not be developing a rival set of software tools and services. Rather it will be leveraging and promoting Sun’s software sets, and it aims to maximize their adoption as the strategic products of choice across the Fujitsu customer base.

Fully compatible with the Solaris operating system, GP7000F systems are ideal for use with major vendor products such as Oracle’s relational database, data warehousing and financial systems. This has resulted in Oracle and Fujitsu entering into a strategic alliance for the promotion and delivery of combined Oracle and GP7000F solutions.

These very large and robust SPARC64(TM) GP Solaris servers have adopted many of the important large system features of previous mainframe technology. But they also are very flexible and can be configured in both partitioned and non-partitioned modes. Fujitsu’s highly enforced partitioning functions in particular provide lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) when used for server consolidation purposes.

For more information contact Fujitsu at www.fujitsu.com.

I. F. – EIS COMPUTERS INTRODUCES NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE, VERY LOW PROFILE SERVER FOR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS

Camarillo, CA–Sept. 15, 1999–EIS Computers today introduced the VerteX 400-2U, a server designed and optimized for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that can be installed and easily maintained in rack environments.

Featuring a configuration that supports one or two of the latest Intel Pentium-III processors and large hard drive capacity, the VerteX 400-2U is considered the highest performance solution for the ISP, according to David Van Beveren, EIS CEO. The server can be delivered with the customer’s choice of Windows NT 4.0, Red Hat Linux 6.0 or Solaris 7 for Intel processors. The VerteX 400-2U features a specially engineered 19-inch rack-mount enclosure that allows easy access for maintenance and upgrade. Its mission critical capabilities include hot-swappable power supplies, fans and a locking front door to prevent unauthorized access to the system.

Van Beveren noted that up to 24 of the new 2U units can be stacked in standard racks used by many ISPs.

He added that first shipments of the new product are scheduled for October 1999, and they will be demonstrated at ISPCon in San Jose, Oct. 26-28, 1999.

The VerteX 400-2U has a Pentium-III Intel motherboard capable of operating with single or dual 600 MHz processors and up to two GB of PC-100 RAM. The integrated motherboard includes two Ultra-2 LVD SCSI disk channels, 10/100 base-T Ethernet and a 2MB SVGA video port, all onboard. The 2U enclosure can hold up to six hard drives, providing over 200GB total storage. Options include a hardware RAID controller, CDROM or tape drive, and it is designed to allow customers to add up to two additional PCI cards for further expansion.

EIS offers a similar 2U server built using the same enclosure, and driven by a Sun UltraSPARC PCI system board, which supports Solaris 7 and Red Hat Linux 6.0 operating systems.

Whether configuring a system around the UltraSPARC or Intel 2U server, EIS pre-installs the customer’s choice of operating system, as well as Zeus Technology’s High Performance Clustered Web server, Sun’s Internet mail or ISP server, Web Caching applications and C and Java development tools. Rack-mountable accessories include a 1U Keyboard-Video-Mouse tray, combined with an eight- or 16-port integrated console switch to control a complete rack of servers. In addition, there is a MasterSwitch AC Power manager to manage power via a Web browser; and rack-mountable LVD, FibreChannel and RAID storage subsystems. EIS offers a two-year warranty and an optional on-site support program with every server package.

EIS can be reached at www.eis.com and (800) 351-4608.

I. G. – RAVE SYSTEMS RACKMOUNT-2UAXI TO BE DEMONSTRATED AT ISPCON FALL RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC.

Sterling Heights, MI–October 1, 1999–Rave Computer Association, Inc., will be present at ISPCON Fall to demonstrate Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi. ISPCON Fall, hosted by Boardwatch, will be held at San Jose Convention Center from October 26 to 28, 1999.

Rave Computer Association, Inc., a Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator, will display the capabilities and features of Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi inside booth 2043. Rave Computer has integrated Sun Microsystems UltraAXi motherboard into Raves sleek 19 inch 2U rackmount chassis. The UltraAXi motherboard has many robust features such as integrated dual-channel Ultra-wide SCSI, single upgradeable UltraSPARC-IIi processors and two 33MHz/32-bit PCI slots. The system can hold up to 1 GB of memory and can be pre-loaded with Solaris 2.6. or Red Hat Linux 6.0. The chassis comes standard with two exposed drive bays, and can accommodate up to three internal low profile 7,200 or 10,000 RPM disk drives or two half height drives. Internally the chassis has six cooling fans and 300 Watt auto-sensing power supply.

Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi is manufactured at Rave Computers headquarters based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Other members of the UltraAXi family manufactured by Rave Computer are Rave Systems RackMount-5UAXi and Rave Systems Tower-AXi.

The base price of Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi begins at $2,750. The compact size of the system reduces rack space requirements and allows compute-intensive users to deploy a series of powerful UltraAXi servers at its sites.

Rave Systems provide the ideal solution for those looking for UNIX systems that allow for robust performance, scalability, and reliability. Rave Computers UL test facility and ISO-9002 procedures ensure quality products and services. More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc., and its Rave Systems can be found on their web site at: www.rave.net or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

I. H. -US SOFTWARE ANNOUNCES NETPEER

Hillsboro, OR–September 27, 1999–US Software, a leading developer of real-time embedded-application products, today announced the release of NetPeer, a Distributed Operating Environment and Embedded Desktop Interface. NetPeer allows users to create dynamic interfaces for their workstation applications. The product was developed because almost every embedded application requires an interface for status and diagnostic abilities, control and configuration. Product development coincides with the increased demand for remote and distributive computing capabilities. Currently, competitive products offer only static displays and passive connections and are limited by large code sizes. Workstations and embedded systems cooperate in a simple manner to create interconnected distributed applications.

NetPeer provides an embedded target application with a client, a server and a broad, flexible real-time interface to remote services over a network with or without an RTOS. Additionally, NetPeer provides a multi-user GUI so many users can simultaneously connect to the same target. Or, multiple targets may interface with a single workstation.

NetPeer’s embedded target module is a C library requiring less than 16k of code space and 2k of RAM. This library can be built for many different processors and tool chains. TCP/IP, IrDA, RF, Ethernet and PPP are among the vast array of supported protocols. NetPeer operates in most embedded application and workstation environments. On the target, NetPeer is RTOS and TCP/IP stack independent. On the workstation, NetPeer is a complete stand-alone application operating in many environments including Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows CE, Windows NT, Linux, Solaris, Mac, and UNIX.

In addition to serving as an interface, NetPeer is a catalyst for new embedded applications in heavy industry, healthcare and the small office/home office markets. For example, in a hospital setting, electrocardiogram monitors with embedded systems can notify nursing stations under predetermined emergency settings.For typical applications, NetPeer pricing starts at $7500.

Since 1975, US Software, located in Hillsboro, OR, has developed, marketed and supported real-time development components for embedded applications. Additional information may be found at www.netpeer.com.

I. I. – EMPRESS RDBMS HOT SWAP REPLICATION FOR EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Greenbelt, MD–September 10, 1999–Empress Software introduces hot swap replication to Empress RDBMS V8.60. Hot swap replication enhances database performance by delivering data where and when it is needed and providing for swappable masters for maximal uptime. It accelerates data access and protects a companys valuable data because multiple copies of database objects exist within a distributed network as well as multiple copies of the master database. Via hot swap replication, Empress RDBMS users benefit from improved database performance, secure protection of database integrity, and back-up resources in case a principle database server fails or becomes unavailable.

Hot swap replication results in significant performance improvements with faster, more efficient access to data. Data access time is shortened since different applications can call different sources such as a primary database server or local data replicas to get the same piece of data. Network system resources are conserved by reducing the amount of network traffic to any given source, resulting in an overall speed up in data retrieval and throughput.

Empress RDBMS hot swap replication is the answer for demanding 24 x 7 embedded systems, states Njai Wong, Empress Softwares Director of Product Development. Hot swap replication puts information next to those who really need it. It provides fall back copies of not only replicated data but the master database as well.

Loss of access to corporate data even for a few hours can be paralyzing to a company. Hot swap replication helps to secure continuous access to data by providing one or more back-ups in case a primary database server fails. Local database replicas can be accessed while a primary database is down. Moreover, with Empress RDBMS hot swap replication, a specified replica table can serve as a master table of other replica tables when the principle master database is not available. Priorities can be set in order to determine which database replica will take over as the master of other replicated databases.

Empress Software develops and supports the Empress Relational Database Management System. The Empress RDBMS is one of the most powerful and cost-effective development databases especially designed for embedded systems developers operating on UNIX, Windows or real-time environments. Empress has been utilized successfully in many fields including image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems, telephony systems, geographical information systems and network management.

For more information about Empress, please call 301-220-1919. Check our web site at www.empress.com or send e-mail to info@empress.com. You can write to us at Empress Software, 6401 Golden Triangle Drive, Greenbelt, MD, 20770.

I. J. – RED HAT ANNOUNCES RED HAT LINUX 6.1, LATEST VERSION OF LEADING OPEN SOURCE SERVER OPERATING SYSTEM

Durham, NC–October 4, 1999–Red Hat, Inc., a leading provider of open source solutions, today announced the release of a suite of Official Red Hat Linux 6.1 products. The latest release of the award-winning Red Hat Linux operating system incorporates easy installation, software update information and access, and improved system management capabilities. These new features enable users to harness the power of open source software in the demanding enterprise and Internet applications that run the day-to-day business of companies worldwide.

Users can move quickly through installation with graphic-based directions, choosing from GNOME, KDE, server or custom interface settings, with seamless integration of software RAID configurations to safeguard critical data and application availability. Additionally, the PXE 2.0 technology (part of the Wired for Management Baseline 2.0) enables Red Hat Linux 6.1 installations to be done across the network, with no need for local media.

Red Hat Linux 6.1 also provides customers with fast access to the latest software technology from Red Hat through the Red Hat Update Agent, an online customer service application for retrieval and management of software updates. Red Hat has combined the RPM package management technology with the Internet capabilities of Red Hat Linux to seamlessly enable customers to take advantage of the continuous technology improvements offered from the open software development community. Red Hat Linux 6.1 combines the power, stability and flexibility of Linux-based open source operating systems with tools and services to handle critical business applications that ensure the peace of mind for corporate users.

Red Hat Linux 6.1 applies many advances in the 2.2.12 Linux kernel and the collaboration of the open source community, including improvements for high availability Internet server clustering and new Web or email-based configuration support for the Apache Web server.

Red Hat is based in Durham, N.C. and has offices worldwide. Visit Red Hat on the Web at www.redhat.com.

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN SEPTEMBER

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD). This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products. To view the master list, please access our web site at www.sparc.org or send email to info@sparc.org.

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 71

I. SPARC News……………!

1. SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES NEW MEMBER HITACHI AMERICA, LTD.
2. CHECK OUT SI’S NEW WEB SITE
3. DATARAM DOUBLES THE MAXIMUM MEMORY OF SUN ENTERPRISE SERVERS
4. LYNX AND EMPRESS CHOSEN FOR FRENCH UTILITY UPGRADE
5. RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. EXPANDS INTO THE GLOBAL MARKET
6. PORTABLE UNIX LEADER TADPOLE-RDI APPOINTS CONTINENTAL RESOURCES AS KEY RESELLER FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS
7. COMMAND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, SISTER COMPANY TO GEAR SOFTWARE, UPDATES ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE VERSION 4.57 EXPANDS PROTECTION; IMPROVES EFFICIENCY
8. RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. NOW OFFERS RED HAT LINUX ON RAVE AXI SYSTEMS FAMILY RED HAT LINUX OR SOLARIS CAN BE OFFERED AS CHOICE OF PRE-LOADED OPERATING SYSTEM

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN AUGUST

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES NEW MEMBER HITACHI AMERICA, LTD.

Hitachi America, Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi has been a presence in the U.S. since 1959. There are currently 75 Hitachi companies in North America. marketing and manufacturing a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout the U.S.

For more information about Hitachi America Ltd. please visit their web site: http://www.hitachi.com.

I. B. – CHECK OUT SI’S NEW WEB SITE

August 26, 1999 — Santa Clara, CA — Thanks to SI’s innovative webmaster, Sara Achenbach, we are pleased to announce our reconstructed web site. Ease of load time is only one of the changes you will notice when you surf our site.

Everything from what SPARC Members are doing about Y2K, Trademarking information and products that have been Certified SPARC Compliant can be easily accessed in our new site.

Take a moment to check it and let us know what you think! https://sparc.org

I. C. – DATARAM DOUBLES THE MAXIMUM MEMORY OF SUN ENTERPRISE SERVERS

Princeton, NJ — July 21, 1999 — Dataram Corporation [AMEX: DTM] a leading provider of gigabyte-class memory for high-performance workstations and network servers, today announced immediate availability of a 2GB memory option for Sun Microsystems’ 3000-6500 Enterprise-class servers. This groundbreaking technology doubles the maximum memory size of Sun’s flagship server line with capacities now available up to 60GB in the Enterprise 6500. The DRS702/2GB memory option is manufactured exclusively by Dataram. By contrast, Sun’s largest Enterprise memory option, the X7023A, is 1GB capacity.

“Adding memory is the easiest way to boost the performance of any system. Database applications such as Oracle, executing large-scale transaction processing and complex decision support queries will see significant performance gains,” states Alan Sibert, Dataram director of marketing. “Preloading HTML pages into memory dramatically improves response time across the Internet. Dataram’s 2GB option is the optimal solution for improving system performance in Enterprise-class computing environments.”

Until now the only option for adding memory was to purchase additional Sun processor boards and additional 1GB kits. Each 2GB Sun option could cost the user as much as $27,000 and consume precious system slots. Dataram’s list price of $9,775 for the 2GB kit represents savings of over 60% off Sun’s list prices for Sun’s alternative upgrade of a processor board and two 1GB memory kits and enables double the amount of memory to be installed.

“We put this memory through a series of stress tests in a heavy transaction processing environment. We were very pleased with the performance improvement. It has completely altered our server strategy from adding systems to adding memory. The cost savings is quite significant,” claims a vice president of a large New York-based financial services firm.

“We expect a tremendous reception from Sun Enterprise-class users,” states Michael Brown, Managing Director of Computer Global. “Oracle shops are memory-intensive and this memory option opens the window for dramatic improvements in database performance within a given class of machine. Customers who might have considered the Enterprise 10000 before can now purchase the less expensive Enterprise 6500, load it with 60GB of Dataram’s DRS702/2GB kits and, in certain applications, obtain close to the same performance levels.”

Dataram, a Sun licensee, is the only independent memory manufacturer to introduce memory options for every Sun server ever built. Dating back to the 1980s, Dataram has introduced memory for Sun 4/260, 4/280, 4/330, 4/370, 4/390, 4/470, 4/490, 4/670, 4/690, SPARCserver 1000E, 2000E and Ultra Enterprise 3000 through 10000 servers.

In addition to Sun Microsystems, Dataram Corporation is a leading provider of large capacity memory products for workstations and network servers from Compaq, Dell, Digital, HP, IBM, Intel and Silicon Graphics. The company serves users in diverse industries such as manufacturing, financial services, internet service providers (ISPs), government, telecommunications, utilities, research and education. Dataram is registered with the International Standards Organization, having met the internationally recognized ISO 9001 quality assurance standard for design/development, production, installation and service. Dataram memory is a cost-effective alternative to purchasing memory directly from the system manufacturer. Products are shipped within hours of order placement and are backed by a lifetime warranty and express ship replacements program.

Dataram is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey and is celebrating its 33rd year in the computer industry. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.dataram.com.

I. D. – LYNX AND EMPRESS CHOSEN FOR FRENCH UTILITY UPGRADE

Greenbelt, MD – Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. and Empress Software, Inc. today announced they have been selected for a joint project by Electricit de France (EDF) to upgrade existing supervision and control system for hydro-electrical power production in the French power grid. The project, incorporating both the LynxOS real-time operating system and the Empress RDBMS (Relational Database Management System), will provide a secure, flexible and precise management system for the utility.

The two companies beat out competing solutions from Oracle, Sybase, Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) and QNX for the contract on the basis of performance, cost, reliability and ease of installation.

EDF produces more than 450 billion kilowatt hours for 13 million customers in France and abroad making it one of the worlds leading power utility companies. Hydroelectric plants provide 13 percent of its production. Its existing management system runs on SCO/UNIX based PCs with flat memory files that could not provide the flexibility and real-time performance their new specifications required. The new system is a black-box solution for simple and cost-effective installation on a PC-based network that requires no administration. LynxOS provides for precise operations and management in real time while Empress RDBMS offers secure though flexible data management.

The new system allowed EDF to reduce installation time from 6 hours to 15 minutes with no loss of data and little necessity of shutdown. The network upgrade will be complete before the end of the year.

“We were impressed with the results from the combination of LynxOS and Empress RDBMS,” said Georges Picq, Rsponsable de LEquipe MCO Hydraulique of EDF. The two companies delivered a product with a small footprint with a remarkably robust performance and reliability suited to the needs of our application and resulted in significant improvements over our preceding system. We intend to consider Lynx and Empress for the next phase of the upgrade to be implemented in the next 2-3 years.

About Lynx Real-Time Systems
Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. provides the foundation software for reliable and high-performance applications in telecommunications, data communications, avionics, automotive, office automation and process control systems. Lynx supplies embedded software products including scalable real-time operating systems, a software framework for high-availability systems, development tools and technical support worldwide. These products are based on such industry standards as POSIX, JAVA and CompactPCI to enable customers to leverage their investments in software and education. Lynx holds two patents for real-time software and has three patents pending. Founded in 1988, Lynx is a privately held company with offices in North America, Europe and Japan, with worldwide headquarters in San Jose, California. Information about Lynx Real-Time Systems is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.lynx.com. About Empress Empress Software, Inc.
Empress Empress Software, Inc.develops and supports the Empress Relational Database Management System. The Empress RDBMS is one of the most powerful and cost effective databases designed especially for embedded systems developers working with UNIX, Windows or real-time environments. Since 1979, Empress has been used successfully worldwide in many fields, including image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems, telephony systems, multimedia applications, geographical information systems and network management. For more information about Empress, please call (301) 220-1919. Check out our website at http://www.empress.comor write to info@empress.com.

I. E. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. EXPANDS INTO THE GLOBAL MARKET

Sterling Heights, MI — August 9,1999 — Rave Computer Association, Inc., a leading Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator announced today that it will be expanding sales and services into Europe, Asia and Africa in response to growing customer demands.

Rave Computer Association, Inc. provides custom-configured integrated computer systems around Suns board platforms bundled with software, compatible peripherals and other exceptional value-added services. Rave Systems provide the solution for those looking for UNIX systems that allow for performance, scalability, and reliability. Rave Computers UL test facility and ISO-9002 procedures ensure quality products and services. Its partnership with Sun Microsystems allows Rave Computer Association, Inc. the resources to provide the latest in SPARC-related technology and complete technical support.

“Our participation in the global market will now offer customers more choices that were not available before. We look forward to extending our services in providing integrated solutions to the global market,” said Bev LeBoeuf, director of marketing.

The regional office for international sales is strategically based in New York and can be reached via phone at 1-516-929-3700, fax 1-516-929-6600 or e-mail: craig@rave.com. Rave Computers overseas representative comes with more than 9 years of experience with international sales within the UNIX industry.

About Rave Computer Association, Inc.
Now recognized as a Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator, Rave Computer had since its inception in 1988, established itself as leading distributor of new, and remanufactured Sun workstations and servers. Today Rave Computer manufactures its own family of cost-effective, custom configured SPARC-based systems. Each Rave System is configured with quality components, and is supported by certified engineers, and with many other value-added benefits. More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc., and its Rave Systems can be found on their web site at http://www.rave.net or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

I. F. – PORTABLE UNIX LEADER TADPOLE-RDI APPOINTS CONTINENTAL RESOURCES AS KEY RESELLER FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS

Carlsbad, CA — August 23, 1999 — Portable UNIX vendor Tadpole-RDI, Inc., of California today announced the appointment of Continental Resources, Inc. as Key Reseller for its unique ranges of portable HP-UX and Solaris-based workstations and servers. Continental Resources was recently rated 10th in Network Magazine’s annual ranking of the top 100 Value Added Resellers (VARs) in North America.

As a Tadpole-RDI Key Reseller, Continental Resources will hold an inventory of popular configurations of Tadpole-RDI’s three portable UNIX lines UltraBook, VoyagerIIi and PrecisionBook for resale to industrial and commercial customers, as well as other resellers addressing these markets. The Tadpole-RDI range will also be promoted by Continental Resources at key industry events and trade shows, including the 3rd Telecom Business Conference & Expo (New York City, August 23-25, 1999) where “Portable UNIX Brings Value To Your Business” will be the major theme at its booth #387.

Since 1962, Continental Resources has been helping businesses grow and operate more efficiently by selling, renting, leasing, servicing and supporting top-of-the-line networking products, PCs, peripherals, electronic test instruments and software. The company also manufactures XPRO Systems, its own line of commercial and industrial PCs and servers. Continental Resources’ corporate headquarters is located in Bedford, MA and the company operates 10 resource centers strategically situated throughout the United States.

“Clearly, we’re delighted to be a business partner of such prestigious technological innovators as Tadpole-RDI,” says Kevin McCann, Continental Resources’ Executive Vice President. He adds: “In this increasingly mobile world, a portable UNIX strategy is no longer an option for professional markets, but a business-driver.”

Bill O’Neill, Product Manager states “As the largest Sun Reseller in New England, and one of the largest on the East Coast, we are well aware of the value of Unix portability. Tadpole-RDI products, which are all Sun based, complement Sun’s product line by providing a professional, portable solution for computing needs.”

About Tadpole-RDI
Tadpole-RDI, a subsidiary of mobile computing vendor Tadpole Technology Plc, is the global leader in portable UNIX workstations and server systems for Sun and Hewlett-Packard operating systems. Its headquarters are based in Carlsbad, California and European operations in Cambridge, England. Tadpole-RDI is certified ISO-9001 and operates through a global network of specialist distribution channels providing applications in industry, commerce and government. Website http://www.tadpolerdi.com

I. G. – COMMAND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, SISTER COMPANY TO GEAR SOFTWARE, UPDATES ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE VERSION 4.57 EXPANDS PROTECTION; IMPROVES EFFICIENCY

JUPITER, FL — August 18, 1999 — Command Software Systems today released a new version of virus-scanning software that includes protection for documents created in Microsoft PowerPoint, the latest product under virus attack.

The move is significant because viruses targeting Word, Excel and PowerPoint files have accounted for most virus outbreaks since 1997, says the International Computer Security Association.

In addition to its PowerPoint protection, Command AntiVirus Version 4.57 lets users of a variety of platforms scan for viruses more quickly and efficiently.

Like Command Software’s other products, Version 4.57 not only scans for known viruses but also analyzes software for unusual behavior. While other virus-scanning products boast that dual approach, Command’s software was the only one that protected customers last spring during the outbreak of the Melissa virus. Melissa, spread via e-mail, forced companies like Boeing, AT&T and Microsoft to shut down their e-mail systems.

As with all of Command Software’s products, Version 4.57 examines files and compares them against a database of known viruses – a technology that has been tested by independent agencies and proven to be 100 percent effective.

It also uses HoloCheck™, Command’s proprietary heuristic scanner, to sniff out unknown viruses. HoloCheck is the component that enabled Command’s software to detect and stop the spread of the Melissa virus in March – something no other company’s so-called “smart” software was able to do.

Command AntiVirus Version 4.57 is available for a wide variety of platforms including Microsoft DOS; Windows 3.x, 95/98/NT; OS/2 Warp; Novell NetWare, Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. A free demo can be downloaded from the company’s Web site http://www.commandcom.com.

Command Software Systems is based in Jupiter, Fla., and operates offices in Campbell, Calif.; London, England; Eindhoven, Holland; and Melbourne, Australia. The company has distribution agreements with resellers in more than a dozen countries.

For more information about the company, its products and services, visit Command’s Web site or call (800) 423-9147 or (561) 575-3200.

I. H. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. NOW OFFERS RED HAT LINUX ON RAVE AXI SYSTEMS FAMILY RED HAT LINUX OR SOLARIS CAN BE OFFERED AS CHOICE OF PRE-LOADED OPERATING SYSTEM

Sterling Heights, Michigan – August 23, 1999) Rave Computer Association, Inc., a leading Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator announced today that they will begin to pre-load Red Hat Linux 6.0 on their Rave Axi Systems per customers request.

The Rave Systems AXi family which consists of RackMount-5UAXi, Rackmount-2UAXi and Tower-AXi, utilizes Suns Ultra(tm)AXi motherboard with robust standard features such as upgradable UltraSPARC-IIi processor modules with processing speeds now up to 440MHz, integrated dual-channel Ultra wide SCSI, and 33MHz 32-bit PCI slots.

The Rave Systems Rackmount-5UAXi (RM-5UAXi) has Suns UltraAXi motherboard integrated into an attractive 19″ rackmount 5U enclosure that offers many flexible configurations. The chassis can be configured with shock-mounted drive canisters, hot-swap fans, hot-swap capable disk drives, and hot-swap power supplies. The RM- 5UAXi comes standard with five fans, three 82 CFM fans and two power supply fans, six PCI slots at 33MHz, and 300 Watt power supply.

The Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi (RM-2UAXi) is Rave Computers newest addition to the Rave Systems AXi family. The RM-2UAXi comes standard in a sleek 19″ 2U form factor chassis with Suns UltraAXi motherboard, 300 Watt auto-ranging power supply, and six cooling fans. The RackMount-2UAXi holds up to 1GB of memory and has two 32-bit PCI slots. The 48 volt power supply is also now available as an option.

Rave Systems Tower-AXi features Sun’s UltraAXi motherboard integrated into a mid-tower chassis that is configured with three 5.25, two 3.5 exposed bays, and 300 Watt power supply. Both the RackMount-5UAXi and Tower-AXi hold up to 1GB of memory and support Creator graphics modules.

The Rave AXi systems provide powerful solutions for the network-intensive industries such as ISP, Telecommunications and Digital Imaging.

About Rave Computer Association, Inc.
Rave Computer Association, Inc. provides custom-configured integrated computer systems around Suns board platforms bundled with software, compatible peripherals and other exceptional value-added services. Rave Systems provide the ideal solution for those looking for UNIX systems that allow for robust performance, scalability, and reliability. Rave Computers UL test facility and ISO-9002 procedures ensure quality products and services. More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc., and its Rave Systems can be found on their web site at or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

About Red Hat, Inc.
Founded in 1994, Red Hat is a leader in the development of Linux-based operating system (OS) software and services. Based in Durham, N.C., Red Hat builds the most accessible and advanced server OS available anywhere with technical innovations such as RPM and the disk druid installation tool. Red Hat Linux is available for Intel, Compaq Alpha and Sun SPARC platforms.

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN AUGUST

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD). This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products. To view the master list, please access our web site at www.sparc.org or send email to info@sparc.org.

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 70

I. SPARC News……………!

1. SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES NEW MEMBER HITACHI AMERICA, LTD.
2. CHECK OUT SI’S NEW WEB SITE
3. DATARAM DOUBLES THE MAXIMUM MEMORY OF SUN ENTERPRISE SERVERS
4. LYNX AND EMPRESS CHOSEN FOR FRENCH UTILITY UPGRADE
5. RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. EXPANDS INTO THE GLOBAL MARKET
6. PORTABLE UNIX LEADER TADPOLE-RDI APPOINTS CONTINENTAL RESOURCES AS KEY RESELLER FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS
7. COMMAND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, SISTER COMPANY TO GEAR SOFTWARE, UPDATES ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE VERSION 4.57 EXPANDS PROTECTION; IMPROVES EFFICIENCY
8. RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. NOW OFFERS RED HAT LINUX ON RAVE AXI SYSTEMS FAMILY RED HAT LINUX OR SOLARIS CAN BE OFFERED AS CHOICE OF PRE-LOADED OPERATING SYSTEM

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN AUGUST

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES NEW MEMBER HITACHI AMERICA, LTD.

Hitachi America, Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi has been a presence in the U.S. since 1959. There are currently 75 Hitachi companies in North America. marketing and manufacturing a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout the U.S.

For more information about Hitachi America Ltd. please visit their web site: http://www.hitachi.com.

I. B. – CHECK OUT SI’S NEW WEB SITE

August 26, 1999 — Santa Clara, CA — Thanks to SI’s innovative webmaster, Sara Achenbach, we are pleased to announce our reconstructed web site. Ease of load time is only one of the changes you will notice when you surf our site.

Everything from what SPARC Members are doing about Y2K, Trademarking information and products that have been Certified SPARC Compliant can be easily accessed in our new site.

Take a moment to check it and let us know what you think! https://sparc.org

I. C. – DATARAM DOUBLES THE MAXIMUM MEMORY OF SUN ENTERPRISE SERVERS

Princeton, NJ — July 21, 1999 — Dataram Corporation [AMEX: DTM] a leading provider of gigabyte-class memory for high-performance workstations and network servers, today announced immediate availability of a 2GB memory option for Sun Microsystems’ 3000-6500 Enterprise-class servers. This groundbreaking technology doubles the maximum memory size of Sun’s flagship server line with capacities now available up to 60GB in the Enterprise 6500. The DRS702/2GB memory option is manufactured exclusively by Dataram. By contrast, Sun’s largest Enterprise memory option, the X7023A, is 1GB capacity.

“Adding memory is the easiest way to boost the performance of any system. Database applications such as Oracle, executing large-scale transaction processing and complex decision support queries will see significant performance gains,” states Alan Sibert, Dataram director of marketing. “Preloading HTML pages into memory dramatically improves response time across the Internet. Dataram’s 2GB option is the optimal solution for improving system performance in Enterprise-class computing environments.”

Until now the only option for adding memory was to purchase additional Sun processor boards and additional 1GB kits. Each 2GB Sun option could cost the user as much as $27,000 and consume precious system slots. Dataram’s list price of $9,775 for the 2GB kit represents savings of over 60% off Sun’s list prices for Sun’s alternative upgrade of a processor board and two 1GB memory kits and enables double the amount of memory to be installed.

“We put this memory through a series of stress tests in a heavy transaction processing environment. We were very pleased with the performance improvement. It has completely altered our server strategy from adding systems to adding memory. The cost savings is quite significant,” claims a vice president of a large New York-based financial services firm.

“We expect a tremendous reception from Sun Enterprise-class users,” states Michael Brown, Managing Director of Computer Global. “Oracle shops are memory-intensive and this memory option opens the window for dramatic improvements in database performance within a given class of machine. Customers who might have considered the Enterprise 10000 before can now purchase the less expensive Enterprise 6500, load it with 60GB of Dataram’s DRS702/2GB kits and, in certain applications, obtain close to the same performance levels.”

Dataram, a Sun licensee, is the only independent memory manufacturer to introduce memory options for every Sun server ever built. Dating back to the 1980s, Dataram has introduced memory for Sun 4/260, 4/280, 4/330, 4/370, 4/390, 4/470, 4/490, 4/670, 4/690, SPARCserver 1000E, 2000E and Ultra Enterprise 3000 through 10000 servers.

In addition to Sun Microsystems, Dataram Corporation is a leading provider of large capacity memory products for workstations and network servers from Compaq, Dell, Digital, HP, IBM, Intel and Silicon Graphics. The company serves users in diverse industries such as manufacturing, financial services, internet service providers (ISPs), government, telecommunications, utilities, research and education. Dataram is registered with the International Standards Organization, having met the internationally recognized ISO 9001 quality assurance standard for design/development, production, installation and service. Dataram memory is a cost-effective alternative to purchasing memory directly from the system manufacturer. Products are shipped within hours of order placement and are backed by a lifetime warranty and express ship replacements program.

Dataram is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey and is celebrating its 33rd year in the computer industry. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.dataram.com.

I. D. – LYNX AND EMPRESS CHOSEN FOR FRENCH UTILITY UPGRADE

Greenbelt, MD – Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. and Empress Software, Inc. today announced they have been selected for a joint project by Electricit de France (EDF) to upgrade existing supervision and control system for hydro-electrical power production in the French power grid. The project, incorporating both the LynxOS real-time operating system and the Empress RDBMS (Relational Database Management System), will provide a secure, flexible and precise management system for the utility.

The two companies beat out competing solutions from Oracle, Sybase, Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) and QNX for the contract on the basis of performance, cost, reliability and ease of installation.

EDF produces more than 450 billion kilowatt hours for 13 million customers in France and abroad making it one of the worlds leading power utility companies. Hydroelectric plants provide 13 percent of its production. Its existing management system runs on SCO/UNIX based PCs with flat memory files that could not provide the flexibility and real-time performance their new specifications required. The new system is a black-box solution for simple and cost-effective installation on a PC-based network that requires no administration. LynxOS provides for precise operations and management in real time while Empress RDBMS offers secure though flexible data management.

The new system allowed EDF to reduce installation time from 6 hours to 15 minutes with no loss of data and little necessity of shutdown. The network upgrade will be complete before the end of the year.

“We were impressed with the results from the combination of LynxOS and Empress RDBMS,” said Georges Picq, Rsponsable de LEquipe MCO Hydraulique of EDF. The two companies delivered a product with a small footprint with a remarkably robust performance and reliability suited to the needs of our application and resulted in significant improvements over our preceding system. We intend to consider Lynx and Empress for the next phase of the upgrade to be implemented in the next 2-3 years.

About Lynx Real-Time Systems
Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. provides the foundation software for reliable and high-performance applications in telecommunications, data communications, avionics, automotive, office automation and process control systems. Lynx supplies embedded software products including scalable real-time operating systems, a software framework for high-availability systems, development tools and technical support worldwide. These products are based on such industry standards as POSIX, JAVA and CompactPCI to enable customers to leverage their investments in software and education. Lynx holds two patents for real-time software and has three patents pending. Founded in 1988, Lynx is a privately held company with offices in North America, Europe and Japan, with worldwide headquarters in San Jose, California. Information about Lynx Real-Time Systems is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.lynx.com. About Empress Empress Software, Inc.
Empress Empress Software, Inc.develops and supports the Empress Relational Database Management System. The Empress RDBMS is one of the most powerful and cost effective databases designed especially for embedded systems developers working with UNIX, Windows or real-time environments. Since 1979, Empress has been used successfully worldwide in many fields, including image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems, telephony systems, multimedia applications, geographical information systems and network management. For more information about Empress, please call (301) 220-1919. Check out our website at http://www.empress.comor write to info@empress.com.

I. E. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. EXPANDS INTO THE GLOBAL MARKET

Sterling Heights, MI — August 9,1999 — Rave Computer Association, Inc., a leading Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator announced today that it will be expanding sales and services into Europe, Asia and Africa in response to growing customer demands.

Rave Computer Association, Inc. provides custom-configured integrated computer systems around Suns board platforms bundled with software, compatible peripherals and other exceptional value-added services. Rave Systems provide the solution for those looking for UNIX systems that allow for performance, scalability, and reliability. Rave Computers UL test facility and ISO-9002 procedures ensure quality products and services. Its partnership with Sun Microsystems allows Rave Computer Association, Inc. the resources to provide the latest in SPARC-related technology and complete technical support.

“Our participation in the global market will now offer customers more choices that were not available before. We look forward to extending our services in providing integrated solutions to the global market,” said Bev LeBoeuf, director of marketing.

The regional office for international sales is strategically based in New York and can be reached via phone at 1-516-929-3700, fax 1-516-929-6600 or e-mail: craig@rave.com. Rave Computers overseas representative comes with more than 9 years of experience with international sales within the UNIX industry.

About Rave Computer Association, Inc.
Now recognized as a Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator, Rave Computer had since its inception in 1988, established itself as leading distributor of new, and remanufactured Sun workstations and servers. Today Rave Computer manufactures its own family of cost-effective, custom configured SPARC-based systems. Each Rave System is configured with quality components, and is supported by certified engineers, and with many other value-added benefits. More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc., and its Rave Systems can be found on their web site at http://www.rave.net or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

I. F. – PORTABLE UNIX LEADER TADPOLE-RDI APPOINTS CONTINENTAL RESOURCES AS KEY RESELLER FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS

Carlsbad, CA — August 23, 1999 — Portable UNIX vendor Tadpole-RDI, Inc., of California today announced the appointment of Continental Resources, Inc. as Key Reseller for its unique ranges of portable HP-UX and Solaris-based workstations and servers. Continental Resources was recently rated 10th in Network Magazine’s annual ranking of the top 100 Value Added Resellers (VARs) in North America.

As a Tadpole-RDI Key Reseller, Continental Resources will hold an inventory of popular configurations of Tadpole-RDI’s three portable UNIX lines UltraBook, VoyagerIIi and PrecisionBook for resale to industrial and commercial customers, as well as other resellers addressing these markets. The Tadpole-RDI range will also be promoted by Continental Resources at key industry events and trade shows, including the 3rd Telecom Business Conference & Expo (New York City, August 23-25, 1999) where “Portable UNIX Brings Value To Your Business” will be the major theme at its booth #387.

Since 1962, Continental Resources has been helping businesses grow and operate more efficiently by selling, renting, leasing, servicing and supporting top-of-the-line networking products, PCs, peripherals, electronic test instruments and software. The company also manufactures XPRO Systems, its own line of commercial and industrial PCs and servers. Continental Resources’ corporate headquarters is located in Bedford, MA and the company operates 10 resource centers strategically situated throughout the United States.

“Clearly, we’re delighted to be a business partner of such prestigious technological innovators as Tadpole-RDI,” says Kevin McCann, Continental Resources’ Executive Vice President. He adds: “In this increasingly mobile world, a portable UNIX strategy is no longer an option for professional markets, but a business-driver.”

Bill O’Neill, Product Manager states “As the largest Sun Reseller in New England, and one of the largest on the East Coast, we are well aware of the value of Unix portability. Tadpole-RDI products, which are all Sun based, complement Sun’s product line by providing a professional, portable solution for computing needs.”

About Tadpole-RDI
Tadpole-RDI, a subsidiary of mobile computing vendor Tadpole Technology Plc, is the global leader in portable UNIX workstations and server systems for Sun and Hewlett-Packard operating systems. Its headquarters are based in Carlsbad, California and European operations in Cambridge, England. Tadpole-RDI is certified ISO-9001 and operates through a global network of specialist distribution channels providing applications in industry, commerce and government. Website http://www.tadpolerdi.com

I. G. – COMMAND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, SISTER COMPANY TO GEAR SOFTWARE, UPDATES ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE VERSION 4.57 EXPANDS PROTECTION; IMPROVES EFFICIENCY

JUPITER, FL — August 18, 1999 — Command Software Systems today released a new version of virus-scanning software that includes protection for documents created in Microsoft PowerPoint, the latest product under virus attack.

The move is significant because viruses targeting Word, Excel and PowerPoint files have accounted for most virus outbreaks since 1997, says the International Computer Security Association.

In addition to its PowerPoint protection, Command AntiVirus Version 4.57 lets users of a variety of platforms scan for viruses more quickly and efficiently.

Like Command Software’s other products, Version 4.57 not only scans for known viruses but also analyzes software for unusual behavior. While other virus-scanning products boast that dual approach, Command’s software was the only one that protected customers last spring during the outbreak of the Melissa virus. Melissa, spread via e-mail, forced companies like Boeing, AT&T and Microsoft to shut down their e-mail systems.

As with all of Command Software’s products, Version 4.57 examines files and compares them against a database of known viruses – a technology that has been tested by independent agencies and proven to be 100 percent effective.

It also uses HoloCheck™, Command’s proprietary heuristic scanner, to sniff out unknown viruses. HoloCheck is the component that enabled Command’s software to detect and stop the spread of the Melissa virus in March – something no other company’s so-called “smart” software was able to do.

Command AntiVirus Version 4.57 is available for a wide variety of platforms including Microsoft DOS; Windows 3.x, 95/98/NT; OS/2 Warp; Novell NetWare, Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. A free demo can be downloaded from the company’s Web site http://www.commandcom.com.

Command Software Systems is based in Jupiter, Fla., and operates offices in Campbell, Calif.; London, England; Eindhoven, Holland; and Melbourne, Australia. The company has distribution agreements with resellers in more than a dozen countries.

For more information about the company, its products and services, visit Command’s Web site or call (800) 423-9147 or (561) 575-3200.

I. H. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. NOW OFFERS RED HAT LINUX ON RAVE AXI SYSTEMS FAMILY RED HAT LINUX OR SOLARIS CAN BE OFFERED AS CHOICE OF PRE-LOADED OPERATING SYSTEM

Sterling Heights, Michigan – August 23, 1999) Rave Computer Association, Inc., a leading Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator announced today that they will begin to pre-load Red Hat Linux 6.0 on their Rave Axi Systems per customers request.

The Rave Systems AXi family which consists of RackMount-5UAXi, Rackmount-2UAXi and Tower-AXi, utilizes Suns Ultra(tm)AXi motherboard with robust standard features such as upgradable UltraSPARC-IIi processor modules with processing speeds now up to 440MHz, integrated dual-channel Ultra wide SCSI, and 33MHz 32-bit PCI slots.

The Rave Systems Rackmount-5UAXi (RM-5UAXi) has Suns UltraAXi motherboard integrated into an attractive 19″ rackmount 5U enclosure that offers many flexible configurations. The chassis can be configured with shock-mounted drive canisters, hot-swap fans, hot-swap capable disk drives, and hot-swap power supplies. The RM- 5UAXi comes standard with five fans, three 82 CFM fans and two power supply fans, six PCI slots at 33MHz, and 300 Watt power supply.

The Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi (RM-2UAXi) is Rave Computers newest addition to the Rave Systems AXi family. The RM-2UAXi comes standard in a sleek 19″ 2U form factor chassis with Suns UltraAXi motherboard, 300 Watt auto-ranging power supply, and six cooling fans. The RackMount-2UAXi holds up to 1GB of memory and has two 32-bit PCI slots. The 48 volt power supply is also now available as an option.

Rave Systems Tower-AXi features Sun’s UltraAXi motherboard integrated into a mid-tower chassis that is configured with three 5.25, two 3.5 exposed bays, and 300 Watt power supply. Both the RackMount-5UAXi and Tower-AXi hold up to 1GB of memory and support Creator graphics modules.

The Rave AXi systems provide powerful solutions for the network-intensive industries such as ISP, Telecommunications and Digital Imaging.

About Rave Computer Association, Inc.
Rave Computer Association, Inc. provides custom-configured integrated computer systems around Suns board platforms bundled with software, compatible peripherals and other exceptional value-added services. Rave Systems provide the ideal solution for those looking for UNIX systems that allow for robust performance, scalability, and reliability. Rave Computers UL test facility and ISO-9002 procedures ensure quality products and services. More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc., and its Rave Systems can be found on their web site at or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

About Red Hat, Inc.
Founded in 1994, Red Hat is a leader in the development of Linux-based operating system (OS) software and services. Based in Durham, N.C., Red Hat builds the most accessible and advanced server OS available anywhere with technical innovations such as RPM and the disk druid installation tool. Red Hat Linux is available for Intel, Compaq Alpha and Sun SPARC platforms.

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN AUGUST

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD). This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products. To view the master list, please access our web site at www.sparc.org or send email to info@sparc.org.

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 69

I. SPARC News……………!

1. SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES NEW MEMBER HITACHI AMERICA, LTD.
2. CHECK OUT SI’S NEW WEB SITE
3. DATARAM DOUBLES THE MAXIMUM MEMORY OF SUN ENTERPRISE SERVERS
4. LYNX AND EMPRESS CHOSEN FOR FRENCH UTILITY UPGRADE
5. RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. EXPANDS INTO THE GLOBAL MARKET
6. PORTABLE UNIX LEADER TADPOLE-RDI APPOINTS CONTINENTAL RESOURCES AS KEY RESELLER FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS
7. COMMAND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, SISTER COMPANY TO GEAR SOFTWARE, UPDATES ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE VERSION 4.57 EXPANDS PROTECTION; IMPROVES EFFICIENCY
8. RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. NOW OFFERS RED HAT LINUX ON RAVE AXI SYSTEMS FAMILY RED HAT LINUX OR SOLARIS CAN BE OFFERED AS CHOICE OF PRE-LOADED OPERATING SYSTEM

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN AUGUST

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES NEW MEMBER HITACHI AMERICA, LTD.

Hitachi America, Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi has been a presence in the U.S. since 1959. There are currently 75 Hitachi companies in North America. marketing and manufacturing a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout the U.S.

For more information about Hitachi America Ltd. please visit their web site: http://www.hitachi.com.

I. B. – CHECK OUT SI’S NEW WEB SITE

August 26, 1999 — Santa Clara, CA — Thanks to SI’s innovative webmaster, Sara Achenbach, we are pleased to announce our reconstructed web site. Ease of load time is only one of the changes you will notice when you surf our site.

Everything from what SPARC Members are doing about Y2K, Trademarking information and products that have been Certified SPARC Compliant can be easily accessed in our new site.

Take a moment to check it and let us know what you think! https://sparc.org

I. C. – DATARAM DOUBLES THE MAXIMUM MEMORY OF SUN ENTERPRISE SERVERS

Princeton, NJ — July 21, 1999 — Dataram Corporation [AMEX: DTM] a leading provider of gigabyte-class memory for high-performance workstations and network servers, today announced immediate availability of a 2GB memory option for Sun Microsystems’ 3000-6500 Enterprise-class servers. This groundbreaking technology doubles the maximum memory size of Sun’s flagship server line with capacities now available up to 60GB in the Enterprise 6500. The DRS702/2GB memory option is manufactured exclusively by Dataram. By contrast, Sun’s largest Enterprise memory option, the X7023A, is 1GB capacity.

“Adding memory is the easiest way to boost the performance of any system. Database applications such as Oracle, executing large-scale transaction processing and complex decision support queries will see significant performance gains,” states Alan Sibert, Dataram director of marketing. “Preloading HTML pages into memory dramatically improves response time across the Internet. Dataram’s 2GB option is the optimal solution for improving system performance in Enterprise-class computing environments.”

Until now the only option for adding memory was to purchase additional Sun processor boards and additional 1GB kits. Each 2GB Sun option could cost the user as much as $27,000 and consume precious system slots. Dataram’s list price of $9,775 for the 2GB kit represents savings of over 60% off Sun’s list prices for Sun’s alternative upgrade of a processor board and two 1GB memory kits and enables double the amount of memory to be installed.

“We put this memory through a series of stress tests in a heavy transaction processing environment. We were very pleased with the performance improvement. It has completely altered our server strategy from adding systems to adding memory. The cost savings is quite significant,” claims a vice president of a large New York-based financial services firm.

“We expect a tremendous reception from Sun Enterprise-class users,” states Michael Brown, Managing Director of Computer Global. “Oracle shops are memory-intensive and this memory option opens the window for dramatic improvements in database performance within a given class of machine. Customers who might have considered the Enterprise 10000 before can now purchase the less expensive Enterprise 6500, load it with 60GB of Dataram’s DRS702/2GB kits and, in certain applications, obtain close to the same performance levels.”

Dataram, a Sun licensee, is the only independent memory manufacturer to introduce memory options for every Sun server ever built. Dating back to the 1980s, Dataram has introduced memory for Sun 4/260, 4/280, 4/330, 4/370, 4/390, 4/470, 4/490, 4/670, 4/690, SPARCserver 1000E, 2000E and Ultra Enterprise 3000 through 10000 servers.

In addition to Sun Microsystems, Dataram Corporation is a leading provider of large capacity memory products for workstations and network servers from Compaq, Dell, Digital, HP, IBM, Intel and Silicon Graphics. The company serves users in diverse industries such as manufacturing, financial services, internet service providers (ISPs), government, telecommunications, utilities, research and education. Dataram is registered with the International Standards Organization, having met the internationally recognized ISO 9001 quality assurance standard for design/development, production, installation and service. Dataram memory is a cost-effective alternative to purchasing memory directly from the system manufacturer. Products are shipped within hours of order placement and are backed by a lifetime warranty and express ship replacements program.

Dataram is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey and is celebrating its 33rd year in the computer industry. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.dataram.com.

I. D. – LYNX AND EMPRESS CHOSEN FOR FRENCH UTILITY UPGRADE

Greenbelt, MD – Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. and Empress Software, Inc. today announced they have been selected for a joint project by Electricit de France (EDF) to upgrade existing supervision and control system for hydro-electrical power production in the French power grid. The project, incorporating both the LynxOS real-time operating system and the Empress RDBMS (Relational Database Management System), will provide a secure, flexible and precise management system for the utility.

The two companies beat out competing solutions from Oracle, Sybase, Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) and QNX for the contract on the basis of performance, cost, reliability and ease of installation.

EDF produces more than 450 billion kilowatt hours for 13 million customers in France and abroad making it one of the worlds leading power utility companies. Hydroelectric plants provide 13 percent of its production. Its existing management system runs on SCO/UNIX based PCs with flat memory files that could not provide the flexibility and real-time performance their new specifications required. The new system is a black-box solution for simple and cost-effective installation on a PC-based network that requires no administration. LynxOS provides for precise operations and management in real time while Empress RDBMS offers secure though flexible data management.

The new system allowed EDF to reduce installation time from 6 hours to 15 minutes with no loss of data and little necessity of shutdown. The network upgrade will be complete before the end of the year.

“We were impressed with the results from the combination of LynxOS and Empress RDBMS,” said Georges Picq, Rsponsable de LEquipe MCO Hydraulique of EDF. The two companies delivered a product with a small footprint with a remarkably robust performance and reliability suited to the needs of our application and resulted in significant improvements over our preceding system. We intend to consider Lynx and Empress for the next phase of the upgrade to be implemented in the next 2-3 years.

About Lynx Real-Time Systems
Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. provides the foundation software for reliable and high-performance applications in telecommunications, data communications, avionics, automotive, office automation and process control systems. Lynx supplies embedded software products including scalable real-time operating systems, a software framework for high-availability systems, development tools and technical support worldwide. These products are based on such industry standards as POSIX, JAVA and CompactPCI to enable customers to leverage their investments in software and education. Lynx holds two patents for real-time software and has three patents pending. Founded in 1988, Lynx is a privately held company with offices in North America, Europe and Japan, with worldwide headquarters in San Jose, California. Information about Lynx Real-Time Systems is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.lynx.com. About Empress Empress Software, Inc.
Empress Empress Software, Inc.develops and supports the Empress Relational Database Management System. The Empress RDBMS is one of the most powerful and cost effective databases designed especially for embedded systems developers working with UNIX, Windows or real-time environments. Since 1979, Empress has been used successfully worldwide in many fields, including image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems, telephony systems, multimedia applications, geographical information systems and network management. For more information about Empress, please call (301) 220-1919. Check out our website at http://www.empress.comor write to info@empress.com.

I. E. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. EXPANDS INTO THE GLOBAL MARKET

Sterling Heights, MI — August 9,1999 — Rave Computer Association, Inc., a leading Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator announced today that it will be expanding sales and services into Europe, Asia and Africa in response to growing customer demands.

Rave Computer Association, Inc. provides custom-configured integrated computer systems around Suns board platforms bundled with software, compatible peripherals and other exceptional value-added services. Rave Systems provide the solution for those looking for UNIX systems that allow for performance, scalability, and reliability. Rave Computers UL test facility and ISO-9002 procedures ensure quality products and services. Its partnership with Sun Microsystems allows Rave Computer Association, Inc. the resources to provide the latest in SPARC-related technology and complete technical support.

“Our participation in the global market will now offer customers more choices that were not available before. We look forward to extending our services in providing integrated solutions to the global market,” said Bev LeBoeuf, director of marketing.

The regional office for international sales is strategically based in New York and can be reached via phone at 1-516-929-3700, fax 1-516-929-6600 or e-mail: craig@rave.com. Rave Computers overseas representative comes with more than 9 years of experience with international sales within the UNIX industry.

About Rave Computer Association, Inc.
Now recognized as a Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator, Rave Computer had since its inception in 1988, established itself as leading distributor of new, and remanufactured Sun workstations and servers. Today Rave Computer manufactures its own family of cost-effective, custom configured SPARC-based systems. Each Rave System is configured with quality components, and is supported by certified engineers, and with many other value-added benefits. More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc., and its Rave Systems can be found on their web site at http://www.rave.net or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

I. F. – PORTABLE UNIX LEADER TADPOLE-RDI APPOINTS CONTINENTAL RESOURCES AS KEY RESELLER FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS

Carlsbad, CA — August 23, 1999 — Portable UNIX vendor Tadpole-RDI, Inc., of California today announced the appointment of Continental Resources, Inc. as Key Reseller for its unique ranges of portable HP-UX and Solaris-based workstations and servers. Continental Resources was recently rated 10th in Network Magazine’s annual ranking of the top 100 Value Added Resellers (VARs) in North America.

As a Tadpole-RDI Key Reseller, Continental Resources will hold an inventory of popular configurations of Tadpole-RDI’s three portable UNIX lines UltraBook, VoyagerIIi and PrecisionBook for resale to industrial and commercial customers, as well as other resellers addressing these markets. The Tadpole-RDI range will also be promoted by Continental Resources at key industry events and trade shows, including the 3rd Telecom Business Conference & Expo (New York City, August 23-25, 1999) where “Portable UNIX Brings Value To Your Business” will be the major theme at its booth #387.

Since 1962, Continental Resources has been helping businesses grow and operate more efficiently by selling, renting, leasing, servicing and supporting top-of-the-line networking products, PCs, peripherals, electronic test instruments and software. The company also manufactures XPRO Systems, its own line of commercial and industrial PCs and servers. Continental Resources’ corporate headquarters is located in Bedford, MA and the company operates 10 resource centers strategically situated throughout the United States.

“Clearly, we’re delighted to be a business partner of such prestigious technological innovators as Tadpole-RDI,” says Kevin McCann, Continental Resources’ Executive Vice President. He adds: “In this increasingly mobile world, a portable UNIX strategy is no longer an option for professional markets, but a business-driver.”

Bill O’Neill, Product Manager states “As the largest Sun Reseller in New England, and one of the largest on the East Coast, we are well aware of the value of Unix portability. Tadpole-RDI products, which are all Sun based, complement Sun’s product line by providing a professional, portable solution for computing needs.”

About Tadpole-RDI
Tadpole-RDI, a subsidiary of mobile computing vendor Tadpole Technology Plc, is the global leader in portable UNIX workstations and server systems for Sun and Hewlett-Packard operating systems. Its headquarters are based in Carlsbad, California and European operations in Cambridge, England. Tadpole-RDI is certified ISO-9001 and operates through a global network of specialist distribution channels providing applications in industry, commerce and government. Website http://www.tadpolerdi.com

I. G. – COMMAND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, SISTER COMPANY TO GEAR SOFTWARE, UPDATES ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE VERSION 4.57 EXPANDS PROTECTION; IMPROVES EFFICIENCY

JUPITER, FL — August 18, 1999 — Command Software Systems today released a new version of virus-scanning software that includes protection for documents created in Microsoft PowerPoint, the latest product under virus attack.

The move is significant because viruses targeting Word, Excel and PowerPoint files have accounted for most virus outbreaks since 1997, says the International Computer Security Association.

In addition to its PowerPoint protection, Command AntiVirus Version 4.57 lets users of a variety of platforms scan for viruses more quickly and efficiently.

Like Command Software’s other products, Version 4.57 not only scans for known viruses but also analyzes software for unusual behavior. While other virus-scanning products boast that dual approach, Command’s software was the only one that protected customers last spring during the outbreak of the Melissa virus. Melissa, spread via e-mail, forced companies like Boeing, AT&T and Microsoft to shut down their e-mail systems.

As with all of Command Software’s products, Version 4.57 examines files and compares them against a database of known viruses – a technology that has been tested by independent agencies and proven to be 100 percent effective.

It also uses HoloCheck™, Command’s proprietary heuristic scanner, to sniff out unknown viruses. HoloCheck is the component that enabled Command’s software to detect and stop the spread of the Melissa virus in March – something no other company’s so-called “smart” software was able to do.

Command AntiVirus Version 4.57 is available for a wide variety of platforms including Microsoft DOS; Windows 3.x, 95/98/NT; OS/2 Warp; Novell NetWare, Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. A free demo can be downloaded from the company’s Web site http://www.commandcom.com.

Command Software Systems is based in Jupiter, Fla., and operates offices in Campbell, Calif.; London, England; Eindhoven, Holland; and Melbourne, Australia. The company has distribution agreements with resellers in more than a dozen countries.

For more information about the company, its products and services, visit Command’s Web site or call (800) 423-9147 or (561) 575-3200.

I. H. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. NOW OFFERS RED HAT LINUX ON RAVE AXI SYSTEMS FAMILY RED HAT LINUX OR SOLARIS CAN BE OFFERED AS CHOICE OF PRE-LOADED OPERATING SYSTEM

Sterling Heights, Michigan – August 23, 1999) Rave Computer Association, Inc., a leading Sun Microsystems authorized Master value-added integrator announced today that they will begin to pre-load Red Hat Linux 6.0 on their Rave Axi Systems per customers request.

The Rave Systems AXi family which consists of RackMount-5UAXi, Rackmount-2UAXi and Tower-AXi, utilizes Suns Ultra(tm)AXi motherboard with robust standard features such as upgradable UltraSPARC-IIi processor modules with processing speeds now up to 440MHz, integrated dual-channel Ultra wide SCSI, and 33MHz 32-bit PCI slots.

The Rave Systems Rackmount-5UAXi (RM-5UAXi) has Suns UltraAXi motherboard integrated into an attractive 19″ rackmount 5U enclosure that offers many flexible configurations. The chassis can be configured with shock-mounted drive canisters, hot-swap fans, hot-swap capable disk drives, and hot-swap power supplies. The RM- 5UAXi comes standard with five fans, three 82 CFM fans and two power supply fans, six PCI slots at 33MHz, and 300 Watt power supply.

The Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi (RM-2UAXi) is Rave Computers newest addition to the Rave Systems AXi family. The RM-2UAXi comes standard in a sleek 19″ 2U form factor chassis with Suns UltraAXi motherboard, 300 Watt auto-ranging power supply, and six cooling fans. The RackMount-2UAXi holds up to 1GB of memory and has two 32-bit PCI slots. The 48 volt power supply is also now available as an option.

Rave Systems Tower-AXi features Sun’s UltraAXi motherboard integrated into a mid-tower chassis that is configured with three 5.25, two 3.5 exposed bays, and 300 Watt power supply. Both the RackMount-5UAXi and Tower-AXi hold up to 1GB of memory and support Creator graphics modules.

The Rave AXi systems provide powerful solutions for the network-intensive industries such as ISP, Telecommunications and Digital Imaging.

About Rave Computer Association, Inc.
Rave Computer Association, Inc. provides custom-configured integrated computer systems around Suns board platforms bundled with software, compatible peripherals and other exceptional value-added services. Rave Systems provide the ideal solution for those looking for UNIX systems that allow for robust performance, scalability, and reliability. Rave Computers UL test facility and ISO-9002 procedures ensure quality products and services. More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc., and its Rave Systems can be found on their web site at or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

About Red Hat, Inc.
Founded in 1994, Red Hat is a leader in the development of Linux-based operating system (OS) software and services. Based in Durham, N.C., Red Hat builds the most accessible and advanced server OS available anywhere with technical innovations such as RPM and the disk druid installation tool. Red Hat Linux is available for Intel, Compaq Alpha and Sun SPARC platforms.

II. SCD CERTIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN AUGUST

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD). This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products. To view the master list, please access our web site at www.sparc.org or send email to info@sparc.org.

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 68

I. SPARC News……………!

II. SCD CERTIFIED AND VERIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN MAY

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES NEW MEMBER NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Aurora, OH–May 7, 1999– SPARC International welcomes Network Technologies, Inc. (NTI). NTI manufactures keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) switches, splitters and cables; PS/2, VGA and Sun monitors switches featuring on-screen, display; along with other products for sharing multi-platform, multi-user interfaces; including PC, MAC and SUN.

I. B. – REBEL.COM CERTIFIES 65TH PRODUCT AS SPARC COMPLIANT®

Santa Clara, CA–May 21, 1999–Congratulations! to Rebel.com this month for successfully completing the SPARC Compliance Definition (SCD) 2.1 level using Solaris 7 O/S, which brings their total Compliance list to 65 SPARC® Certified Products.

Earlier this month Hardware Canada Computing, a leading supplier of Linux, UNIX and windows NT hardware and personal computer systems, unveiled its new name and corporate identity – Rebel.com. The company’s name change is accompanied by the unveiling of its new visual identity and website – www.rebel.com.

For the complete article dated May 3, 1999, please visit Rebel.com’s web site and click onto “News”.

I. C. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. INTRODUCES RAVE SYSTEMS RACKMOUNT-2UAXi

Sterling Heights, MI–May 12, 1999– Rave Computer Association Inc., a leading Sun Microsystems value-added system integrator, is proud to announce its newest addition to the family of Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi.

Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi has been introduced into Raves family of embedded SPARC® systems late in April 1999. The RM-2UAXi takes advantage of Sun’s Ultra AXi motherboard which has robust features such as upgradable UltraSPARC® -IIi processor modules with current processing speeds of up to 360Mhz, integrated dual-channel Ultra-wide SCSI, two 33MHz/32 bit PCI slots and integrated 10/100 Mb Ethernet.

The Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi comes standard with a 1.44MB floppy drive and has one exposed 5.25″ half height slot for CD-ROM, tape or removable disk drive. It can accommodate up to three internal low profile 7,200 or 10,000 RPM disk drives or two half height drives.

The Rave Systems RackMount-2UAXi is integrated into a customized, sleek 19 inch 2U steel enclosure with six fans, 300 Watt auto-ranging power supply and weighs 20.5 pounds. The compact size of the chassis reduces rack space requirements and allows users to deploy a series of powerful AXi servers at its sites.

Rave Computer Association. Inc. is an authorized Sun Microsystems value-added system integrator. More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc. can be found on their web site at: www.rave.com or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

I. D. – EMPRESS RDBMS PROVIDES THE DATABASE SOLUTION TO LEVERAGE 64-BIT COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY

Greenbelt, MD–May 21, 1999– Empress Software Inc. announces the availability of its latest release V8.20 on several major 64-bit platforms. Empress RDBMS provides developers with the leverage to manage VLDB (Very Large Database) applications in a 64-bit computing environment. For such intense data applications, a 64-bit platform combined with a high-performance database like the Empress RDBMS provides a solid solution; application developers can provide rapid data retrieval, address large amounts of memory, handle substantially larger files and process complex computations faster.

The ability to address large amounts of memory improves the performance of database operations. Large portions of an Empress database can be directly cached into memory via Empresss shared memory feature. Application developers can also choose to configure the entire RDBMS as an in-memory databases management system. This ability to store such vast data in-memory translates into much faster data access times since memory access is much quicker than disk access.

Empress application developers have always had a strong presence in the diverse fields that gain a great deal from proceeding into the 64-bit environment arena, states John Kornatowski, President of Empress Software. The powerful Empress RDBMS within a robust 64-bit operating environment significantly surpasses the capabilities of 32-bit computing especially in applications dealing with simulation and scientific data analysis, multimedia web application development, geographical information services, data warehousing and high-resolution graphics management.

Furthermore, in a 64-bit environment, much larger files can be handled. For example, hundreds of DVD videos can be stored. This capability, combined with Empresss ability to efficiently store and retrieve a variety of complex data types, makes Empress ideal for any application that requires the fast handling of a various multimedia. In addition, the maximum number of records per Empress database table and the maximum size of each record significantly increases via a 64-bit platform.

Higher precision calculations within Empress database applications can also be performed via a 64-bit computing environment. With such accurateness in mathematical calculations, application developers can perform calculations that produce sharper and better defined images. Therefore, with Empress, not only can large images be stored with efficiency and speed, but they can be rendered with a higher degree of precision.

Currently, Empress RDBMS is available on several major 64-bit UNIX operating systems. They are Compaqs TRU64 UNIX, Hewlett Packards HP-UX, SGI IRIX, and Sun’s Solaris 7.

Empress Software develops and supports the Empress Relational Database Management System. The Empress RDBMS V8.20 is one of the most powerful and cost-effective development databases especially designed for embedded systems developers operating on UNIX, Windows or real-time environments. Empress has been utilized successfully in many fields including image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems, telephony systems, geographical information systems and network management.

For more information about Empress, please call 301-220-1919. Check our web site at www.empress.com or send e-mail to info@empress.com. You can write to us at Empress Software, 6401 Golden Triangle Drive, Greenbelt, MD, 20770.

I. E. – COMMAND ANTIVIRUS^™ AUTOMATICALLY DETECTS MELISSA VIRUS IN FILES BEARING .RTF EXTENSIONS

Jupiter, FL–May 27, 1999– Command Software Systems (sister company to GEAR SOFTWARE), makers of award-winning Command AntiVirus^™, denounces the claim by Symantec that the new Melissa virus now using an .RTF extension may not be detected by any anti-virus software programs, including Symantec’s. Instead, the tested and proven detection and disinfection power of Command AntiVirus automatically scans .RTF files by default, once again disabling Melissa’s ability to wreak havoc.

This new emergence of Melissa (W97M.Melissa.A), now actively spreading via e-mail transmission in Word documents with an .RTF extension, does not constitute a new variant of Melissa, rather it’s merely a Word document whose extension has been renamed from a .DOC extension to an .RTF extension. When Word opens the document, the macro virus will still be present.

According to Dyan Dyer, Chairman and CEO of Command, “It’s evident that our competitor’s users are again vulnerable to Melissa’s disruption. Melissa posed no threat to Command AntiVirus users, however. Command AntiVirus was the only anti-virus product to detect Melissa as an unknown virus when it first appeared- preventing users from accessing the file and becoming infected. Command AntiVirus prevents infection from Melissa’s latest incarnation as well, scanning .RTF files by default. It’s surprising to hear that some anti-virus products don’t scan for .RTF files by default, since WM/CAP.A is a common virus with the .RTF extension that has been it In the Wild for some time.”

“People using Microsoft Word and e-mail should act with caution when opening .RTF files and they should be sure to run an effective anti-virus program on their computers,” Dyer further noted. “We offer a free trial copy of Command AntiVirus via our Web site at www.commandcom.com and we encourage everyone not running our award-winning anti-virus software on their computers to experience the peace of mind that our users have come to expect. “

Command Software, makers of Command AntiVirus (formerly F-PROT Professional ®) has earned Checkmark Level Two certification from West Coast Labs. This means that Command AntiVirus has been independently tested and proven to detect 100% of viruses “in-the-wild” (Level One certification), plus employ the industry-leading capability of 100% disinfection of these same viruses (Level Two certification).

For more information about Command Software and its award-winning anti-virus solution, visit our Web site at www.commandcom.com.

II. – SCD CERTIFIED AND VERIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN MAY

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the “SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD).” This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products.

ADDITIONS (System Products):

The SPARC Verified brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that the peripherals they want to use will work on the SPARC Compliant systems they target. This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Verified products.

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 67

I. SPARC News……………!

II. SCD CERTIFIED AND VERIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN APRIL

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – 110th TATUNG SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, INC. PRODUCT DECLARED SPARC COMPLIANT

Milpitas, CA–April 16, 1999– Congratulations to Tatung Science & Technology, Inc. (TSTI) in celebrating 10 years of commitment to the SPARC systems market. They just completed testing 48 additional new products at the SCD 2.1 level using O/S Solaris 7 bringing their to total to 110 SPARC Compliant Certified Products. TSTI’s initial testing was performed in August of 1991.

For a complete listing of TSTI’s Certified products go to the “Certified” section on SI’s home page and click onto Tatung.

I. B. – SPARC INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES OUR NEW MEMBER RACKMASTER

Bloomington, MN–Apirl 20, 1999– Rackmaster Systems, Inc. is a manufacturer of durable rack mounted computer systems and peripheral enclosures for applications ranging from telecommunications and network servers to process control. The company recently announced the release of its newly designed FRS (Fault Resilient Series) Ultra AXmp chassis called the “Eclipse FRS”.

This fault tolerant enclosure is designed specially for the high power requirements of the Sun Microsystems SPARCengine Ultra AXmp quad processor motherboard. The chassis comes standard with three robust, hot swappable 400W power supplies to provide a level of redundancy unparalleled in the industry.

Cooling has always been an issue in chassis design. The Eclipse FRS is again unique in providing three 120mm, 90 CFM cooling fans for the chassis and three dedicated 60mm 25 CFM cooling one for each power supply, to improve system durability and MTBF. There is no need to take the system down to remove a failed fan as all fans are a hot swappable card cage design and can be removed through the top cover without the use of tools.

For more information please visit their web site at www.rackmaster.com.

I. C. – TADPOLE’S NEW MOBILE GIS SYSTEM POISED TO REVOLUTIONIZE UTILITIES’ FIELD SYSTEMS AND WORK METHODS

Cambridge, UK–April 26, 1999– Specialist mobile computing vendor Tadpole Technology Plc today launched a revolutionary Java-based field information system that allows the world’s utilities, telecommunications and public service industries to better serve their customers, achieve significant gains in field workforce productivity and optimize growing investments in geographic information systems (GIS).

This unique Java-based mobile computing system allows utilities to better repair, track and manage field assets. Makes field workers more productive and job-responsive, overcomes shortcomings and limitations of hand-held PC-based solutions.

Designated Tadpole-Cartesia, Tadpole’s new enterprise-class Field Information System eliminates at-a-stroke the shortcomings and impracticalities of hand-held or other PC-based systems for data-intensive computing in hostile environments. The system enables utilities to put detailed mapping and job-specific information quickly and cost-effectively into the hands of field workers, track work-in-progress and maintain an accurate database of field assets.

Leveraging Java and internet technologies, Tadpole’s simple-to-use Field Information System brings the full advantages of integrated corporate workflow to the mobile environment. A unique family of spatially-enabled works management tools integrating best-of-breed Java technology providers Fort Software, ILOG and Wind River Systems, Tadpole-Cartesia gives field teams on-line access to corporate databases via digital cellular, wireless radio or conventional telephones from an innovative hand-held, pen-based computer through a server linked to corporate databases.

Tadpole Technology, a specialist vendor of mobile computing solutions for professional markets, is a listed company on the London Stock Exchange. The company comprises two divisions: Tadpole-RDI, global leader in portable UNIX workstations and servers; and Tadpole-Cartesia, pioneer of Java-based field information systems for the utilities, telecommunications and public service industries. Website: www.tadpole.com.

I. D. – ARIES RESEARCH, INC. OFFERS SPARC(R) SYSTEM PLATFORMS AND TOTAL SYSTEM SOLUTIONS FOR CORPORATE INTRANETS

Fremont, CA–April 1, 1999– Aries Research, Inc. offers SPARC(R) system platforms and total system solutions for corporate Intranets. All standard systems are built with system boards from Sun Microsystems. When standard systems do not fit our customers’ needs, we design and manufacture customized systems. For UltraSPARC(R)-based standard systems, we offer systems based on the AXi, Ultra II, Ultra 60 and AXmp system boards.

Marixx US AXi is based on the UltraSPARC(R) AXi system board. It combines Sun Microelectronics’ new 64-bit UltraSPARC? IIi processor, PCI I/O Bus, and graphics options that outperforms the fastest Pentium II class PCs at comparable prices.

Marixx US 60 is a fast dual-processor system based on the Ultra 60 system board. Its robust performance let you do modeling, animation, medical imaging, video effects and more. US 60 supports up to 2GB of memory and two processors and integrates easily with PCs as well as other UltraSPARC(R) workstations.

Marixx US AXmp system utilizes Sun’s AXmp system board. Like Ultra 60 system board, AXmp system board is based on the UltraSPARC? Port Architecture (UPA) with PCI Bus (I/O subsystem design. Unlike the Ultra 60 system board, it has 9 PCI slots versus 4 slots. Specifically designed for demanding industrial control applications, AIN platforms and telecommunications class Internet servers, the US AXmp system offers three times the computing density of comparable office systems.

Marixx US II system is built with Sun’s Ultra II system board. It is also based on the UltraSPARC Port Architecture (UPA) with Sun’s SBus based I/O. Scalable to 400 MHz processor speed, with Sun proprietary memory SIMM, Marixx US II has been the flagship system for SPARC’s desktop engineering application market.

Although SuperSPARC(R)-based systems has been discontinued by Sun, Aries Research still supports Marixx SS5 and Marixx SS20 systems based on Sun’s SS5 and SS20 system boards, respectively. These systems are vital for applications based upon Solaris 1.1.2. The SS5 comes with a single processor and the SS20 is available with single, dual, or quad-processor.

Marixx is a product trademark of Aries Research.For more information please visit Aries web site at www.ariesresearch.com Aries Research, Inc. is located in Fremont, CA, phone + 510 413-0288, fax + 510 226-0781.

I. E. – ON-LINE ANSWERS FOR SOLARIS AND SUN HARDWARE

Waterford, MI–April 22, 1999– SoftTech Solutions recreated the look, feel and attributes of the On-Line! Detective for Sun in version 11.0 as well as adding a significant amount of new content. The Detective is a system support tool for personnel supporting Sun workstations and servers by providing answers and solutions for hardware and Solaris related issues and problems. The product provides critical support for system administrators, field engineers, help-desk personnel and resellers of Sun equipment. Specifically, the Detective covers troubleshooting, all Sun and third-party part numbers (including compatibility), root cause resolution, configuration rules and configuration guidelines. The Detective also covers many Solaris issues and problems providing quick and accurate answers and information. This includes Solaris troubleshooting, a breakout and explanation of UNIX commands, defining the Forth Tool Kit, the procedures for upgrading your operating system and many other topics critical to the Sun environment. on.

The On-Line! Detective also includes a site map allowing individuals to quickly find facts and answers to pressing issues. Finding answers fast is a major benefit of the tool. Currently the Detective covers all workstations from the SPARCstation IPC to the Ultra 60. From a server perspective, the product includes the SS1000, SC2000, Enterprise 3000-6000, E3500-E6500, Enterprise 450 and E250. Each system has an overview, configuration rules and requirements, troubleshooting flowcharts and guidelines for all component removal and replacement procedures. The Detective also covers storage arrays including the StorEdge A5000.

The Detective runs on most Sun or Microsoft operating systems. It will load on Sun desktops or servers, as well as PCs and laptops. The tool is sold individually or in multiple-user packs. The Detective now has a demo available that is downloadable from the web. To view the demo or for more information, visit SoftTech Solutions website at www.stsolutions.com or call SoftTech direct at (888) 786-4393 in the US or (248) 738-7738 for international callers.

I. F. – SUN MICROSYSTEMS REPORTS RECORD THIRD QUARTER REVENUES AND EARNINGS. McNEALY REINFORCES COMMITMENT TO THE SPARC TECHNOLOGY

Palo Alto, CA–April 15, 1999– Sun Microsystems, Inc., today reported results for the third quarter which ended March 28, 1999. Revenues for the third quarter were a record $2.936 billion, up 24 percent compared with the third quarter of fiscal 1998. Net income for the third quarter, excluding a charge related to an acquisition, reached an all time high of $291.4 million, an increase of 26 percent from the previous year’s results. Third quarter earnings per share, excluding the charge related to an acquisition, was $.71 (on a pre-split basis, see below), an increase of 20 percent over the corresponding period a year ago.

In this report, Scott McNealy, Chief Executive Officer, stated “Sun remains focused on building the world’s best network computing products, investing about $1.2 billion dollars annually into its core technologies, SPARC®, Solaris(TM), Java(TM) and Jini(TM). In addition, our next generation of full 64 bit systems will be powered by the UltraSPARC III chip, which taped out during the quarter. These investments enable Sun to maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”

I. G. – EIS ROLLS OUT COMPLETE ULTRASPARC SOLUTIONS FOR ISP’S

Moorpark, CA–April 23, 1999– EIS Computers today announced the rollout of a complete set of products and support services targeted to meet the computing needs of Internet Service Providers.

Central to this new product set, EIS introduced a new low profile rack-mount UltraSPARC server, the Fusion-iX/2, and announced a partnership with national system support provider Terix Computer, Inc. Terix will provide help desk and onsite 24/7 service for all EIS Fusion hardware. The new server and the support program was unveiled at ISPON Spring ’99 in Baltimore along with a set of rack-mount accessories and software options including UltraSPARC Linux, which comprises a total solution for ISPs.

The Fusion-iX/2 is the leader in a new breed of rack-mountable servers, built using Sun Microelectronics’s SPARCengine Ultra AXi PCI system board. The Fusion-iX/2 includes dual UltraWide SCSI channels, 100baseT Ethernet, up to 1GB RAM, Sun’s 360MHz UltraSPARC II(i) CPU, up to 4 hard drives, floppy, Tape or CD-ROM, 2 PCI cards, a redundant hot swappable power supply and a rack mountable enclosure that stands only 3.5″ (2 “Rack Units” or 2U) high. This low profile chassis allows ISPs to double the number of servers in existing racks, compared to a traditional 4U or 5U chassis, without compromising on features. EIS will preinstall Solaris or Linux for UltraSPARC processors and offers a variety of software installation options. The Fusion-iX/2 is being offered at the current 4U Fusion-iX server price.

The EIS in partnership with Terix gives Fusion users comprehensive telephone and on-site support. Support packages include round-the-clock on-site support, business week 24-hour on-site support, business week 8-5 on-site support, or technical support and training with next day guaranteed replacement part delivery. Each package includes an option for a full time on-site engineer. EIS will bundle basic support (technical support and training with next day guaranteed replacement part delivery) for two months with every server sold.

Founded in 1994, EIS Computers www.eis.com is an original equipment manufacturer that produces and markets high-performance computer systems, which provide resellers, integrators, Internet Service Providers and small- to mid-size businesses with a streamlined way to acquire Solaris-UltraSPARC or Solaris-Intel based computing.

I. H. – EMPRESS DELIVERS XML SUPPORT IN VERSION 8.20

Greenbelt, MD–April 23, 1999– Empress Software Inc. announces support for XML in the recent release of Empress Hypermedia V8.20, the Internet Applications Development Toolkit powered by the Empress RDBMS. Empress Software’s support for XML is driven by the desire to power the high degree of data interchange within business applications on the Internet, intranets and extranets.

A significant benefit XML delivers to the Empress user is full control in defining tags and the structural relationships between tags in a web document. Unique web documents can be created specifically for the nature of an application and its embedded data managed by the Empress RDBMS. Application developers can define all of the semantics of an XML document, enabling the creation of these highly application-specific web documents.

Data-intensive applications especially utilize the strengths of XML because data can be separated from formatting tags within a web document. This provides a powerful means to extract, mark up, and reuse data. For instance, data can be extracted from an Empress database, altered to suit the developers needs, and then utilized in another application.

Empress Software develops and supports the Empress Relational Database Management System. The Empress RDBMS V8.20 is one of the most powerful and cost effective databases designed especially for embedded systems developers working with UNIX, Windows or real-time environments. Empress is used successfully in many fields, including image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems, telephony systems, multimedia applications, geographical information systems and network management.

For more information about Empress, please call 301-220-1919. Check their web site at www.empress.com or send email to info@empress.com. You can write to Empress Software, 6401 Golden Triangle Drive, Greenbelt, MD, 20770.

II. – SCD CERTIFIED AND VERIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN MARCH

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the “SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD).” This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products.

ADDITIONS (System Products):

The SPARC Verified brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that the peripherals they want to use will work on the SPARC Compliant systems they target. This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Verified products.

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Issue No. 66

I. SPARC News……………!

II. SCD CERTIFIED AND VERIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN MARCH

III. SPARCSHOP

I. SPARC News

I. A. – Y2K CLEARINGHOUSE WEB SITE

Santa Clara, CA–March 26, 1999– SPARC International, A Year 2000 (Y2K) clearinghouse web site has been created to assist SPARC product users where to seek assistance in resolving possible Y2K problem(s) associated with their systems.

The following companies are now included in this site: Aries, Auspex, Bridgepoint, Force, Hardware Canada, Sun Microsystems, Tadpole-RDI and Tatung. A list of known products or product families are listed. SI welcomes any submission of information to info@sparc.com.

I. B. – NEW LISTING OF OPERATING SYSTEMS FOR SPARC BASED SYSTEMS

Santa Clara, CA–March 23, 1999– SPARC International, A web site has been initiated by SPARC International to inform its visitors of the choices of operating systems which can run on the SPARC Architectures V7, V8 and V9.

You will find these operating systems listed in four categories – commercial, commercial real-time/embedded, public domain, and public domain real-time. Solaris(R) from Sun Microsystems is leading the way for commercial operating systems, but public domain operating systems such as Red Hat’s Linux 5.2 for SPARC are also gaining more and more momentum every day. VxWorks from Wind River Systems is leading in the real-time operating system category.

You can visit this page by going to: www.sparc.com/standards/sparc.os.shtml .

If your favorite SPARC architecture operating system is not listed, please drop us a note at info@sparc.org.

I. C. – CAMINTONN CORPORATION OF IRVINE, CA HAS BEEN AWARDED THE SPARC VERIFIED(R) LOGO

Santa Clara, CA–March 15, 1999– Cammintonn Corporation of Irvine, CA has been awarded the SPARC Verified(R) logo for Memory Modules which passed the Peripheral Verification Test (PVT) process. These include the following product series – ULTRA1, ULTRA2, ULTRA10 and Enterprise450. Camintonn Corporation has specialized in the design and manufacturing of Windows NT and UNIX systems memory for Compaq/Digital, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Silicon Graphics and Sun Microsystems since 1981. Camintonn’s commitment to precision and reliability ensures all products to be 100% compatible and free from defect. We invite you to visit them on the world wide web at www.camintonn.com .

I. D. – INSIGNIA SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH SUN MICROSYSTEMS JEODE TECHNOLOGY TO BE CERTIFIED FOR EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Chicago, IL–March 3, 1999– Insignia Solutions(R) announced today at the Embedded Systems Conference that it has finalized an agreement with Sun Microsystems to establish Insignia as a Sun authorized certified Virtual Machine provider. This agreement paves the way for testing and official Sun compliance certification of Insignia’s Jeode(TM) technology and its Embedded Virtual Machine(TM) (EVM(TM)), Insignia’s implementation of Sun’s Java technology for embedded systems.

The agreement authorizes immediate access to the Java(TM) compatibility test suite and the Java technology source code. The agreement includes technology sharing and compatibility verification, and may accelerate and expand market acceptance for both Jeode and Java technologies.

“We are pleased with our enhanced relationship with Sun,” said Richard Noling, President and Chief Executive Officer of Insignia Solutions, upon completion of the agreement. “The progress we have made in furthering the market acceptance of our Jeode technology will help extend the interest in Java technology for embedded systems. Our Jeode technology, which has been in beta test since November, has won consistently good reviews from our customers, and remains on track for official product shipment by the end of March,” he continued.

Alan Baratz, President of Java Software at Sun Microsystems, added, “We are excited to welcome Insignia as a key player in helping make the Java platform the de facto industry standard for embedded systems. This agreement reflects the commitment by both companies to the Java platform and the Jeode technology. Sun has been working closely with Insignia since last fall and we are very impressed with their Jeode technology.”

For additional information on Insignia and its products, call 1 800 848-7677 in the United States and +44 (0)1628 539 570 in Europe, or visit the Company’s Web site at www.insignia.com.

I. E. – DYAN DYER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF COMMAND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS WINS “WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR-TRAILBLAZER” AWARD

Jupiter, FL–March 19, 1999– Dyan Dyer, Chairman and CEO of Command Software Systems, Inc. and its subsidiary GEAR Software, is the first to win the “Woman Entrepreneur-Trailblazer” award, presented at the “Women’s Executive Ball – The 1999 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” gala. This first annual award ceremony, co-chaired by the Boca/Delray Chapter of “National Women Business Owners” (NAWBO) and “The Small Office Home Office Association” (SOHO Station) honored women entrepreneurs in Palm Beach County, Florida who have demonstrated extraordinary achievements in their respective businesses and who exemplify dedication to helping others by sharing their expertise.

Nominees for the Woman Entrepreneur-Trailblazer award were required to have been in business for at least five years and had to have acquired substantial revenues over time. Ms. Dyer’s success story has been built on her abiding commitment to develop best of breed products and superior customer service and support. Ms. Dyer’s “Just Do It” attitude, her unwavering determination to meet all challenges head-on, and her commitment to hiring quality people, create the foundation of her companies.

Command Software’s subsidiary, GEAR Software, brings to market today’s most robust CD-R and DVD-R technology for audio, video, and data recording, plus a multimedia version for Windows and UNIX platforms. The GEAR consumer family of products includes GEAR(tm) CD-R Suite which bundles GEAR(tm) Audio (allows users to mix music and audio onto one CD from multiple sources), GEAR(tm) Replicator (allows users to create flawless duplication of any CD), and WebGrabber(tm) (allows users to copy Web content onto CD). GEAR PRO for Windows and GEAR PRO for UNIX make up GEAR’s professional product line and includes cutting-edge features that multimedia title developers, CD publishers and audio houses demand.

For more information about Command Software and GEAR Software, visit their Web site at www.commandcom.com.

I. F. – RAVE COMPUTER ASSOCIATION, INC. ANNOUNCES NEW ULTRASPARC IIi PROCESSOR AVAILABLE FOR RAVE SYSTEMS RACKMOUNT-AXI AND RAVE SYSTEMS TOWER-AXI

Sterling Heights, MI–March 17, 1999– Rave Computer Association, Inc., a leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of Sun Microsystems, announces the release of the latest processor available for Rave Systems RackMount-AXi and Tower-AXi, the UltraSPARC(R) IIi 360MHz with 2MB external cache.

Both Rave Systems RackMount-AXi (RM-AXi) and Tower-AXi (T-AXi) utilize Sun’s Ultra(tm) AXi motherboard which provides robust standard features such as UltraSPARC-IIi ungradable processor modules with processing speeds up to 360MHz, integrated dual-channel Ultra wide SCSI, six 33MHz/32 bit PCI slots, and supports up to 1GB of memory and Suns Creator Series (FFB2) graphics.

The Rave Systems Rackmount-AXi features Sun’s Ultra AXi motherboard integrated into an attractive 19″ rackmount 5U enclosure that offers many flexible configurations. The chassis can be configured with shock-mounted drive canisters, hot-swap fans, hot-swap capable disk drives, and hot-swap power supplies.

The system also offers an option of being integrated with an intelligent system control board which provides both audible and visual warnings should a fault occur with temperature, power supplies, or fans in conjunction with Raves’ newest product development, Pagemate. Pagemate is a remote error notification system designed exclusively to interface with Rave Systems RackMount-AXi. Pagemate works in tandem with Raves’ optional intelligent system control board integrated into Rave Systems rackmount chassis, and Pagemate continuously monitors the status of power supplies, cooling fans, and internal chassis temperature, all independent of the system motherboard. When an error is detected, an integral 2400 baud modem dials out immediately, informing key personnel. A detailed text message, giving the system address and error notification is sent to an alphanumeric pager.

Rave Systems Tower-AXi features Sun’s Ultra AXi motherboard integrated into a mid-tower chassis that is configured with three 5.25, two 3.5 exposed bays and 300 Watt power supply.

More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc. can be found on their web site at: www.rave.com or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

I. G. – RAVE SYSTEMS DESKTOP-U2 AND RACKMOUNT-U2 NOW FEATURE ULTRASPARC(R) II 400MHZ MICROPROCESSOR

Sterling Heights, MI–March 17, 1999– Rave Computer Association, Inc. leading Sun authorized system integrator introduces two Rave Systems powered up to 400MHz UltraSPARC-II(R) processor with 2MB of external cache.

Rave Systems Desktop U2 (DT-U2) is a multi-processing 64 bit UltraSPARC II powered system designed to meet the requirements for the most sophisicated graphic, technical, and business applications. The DT-U2 is integrated with original Suns single or dual UltraSPARC II chip set that supports up to 400MHz processing speeds with 2MB of external cache. The system also can be configured with up to 2GB of memory and pre-loaded with Solaris 2.6 or later. The DT-U2 comes standard with 100-BaseT Ethernet interface; two serial ports; one parallel port and four SBus expansion slots, 32 bit or 64 bit data bus width. The Rave Systems DT-U2 supports Creator 3D graphics technology and provides disk storage capacity of up to 18GB.

Rave Systems RackMount U2 (RM-U2) is a 64 bit multi-processing rackmount featuring all original Sun components integrated into a standard 19″ EIA rack. The RM-U2 also features Sun’s single or dual UltraSPARC II chip set with up to 400MHz processing power with 2MB external cache. The RackMount-U2 comes standard with 100-BaseT Ethernet interface; two serial ports; one parallel port and four SBus expansion slots, 32 bit or 64 bit data bus width. The system can be pre-loaded with Solaris 2.6 or later, and configured with up 2GB of memory with hard disk storage capacity of up to 18GB. The Rave Systems RM-U2 is designed to provide the best solution for an entry level server and high performance embedded applications.

More information about Rave Computer Association, Inc. can be found on their web site at www.rave.com or by calling 1-800-966-7283.

I. H. – EMPRESS TRIPLES SQL OPERATIONS SPEED, BROADENS PROGRAMMING ENVIRONMENT IN VERSION 8.20 RELEASE

Greenbelt, MD–March 12, 1999– Empress announces the immediate availability of EMPRESS RDBMS V8.20, now with the fastest ever Dynamic SQL and ODBC-based SQL operations, plus a host of new features for the embedded systems marketplace. The new EMPRESS capabilities include: 300+% speed increases for Dynamic SQL and ODBC-based repetitive SQL operations Database Internet object technologies such as Data Streaming and a Pure Java Client thread safe environment for invoking Empress routines in multi-threaded applications fork safe environment that allows execution of subsequent initialization procedures in complex autonomous, fire-and-forget embedded applications Open connectivity with wider array of third-party software.

A recent breakthrough in Empress technology now allows looped SQL operations, invoked through Empress interfaces for Dynamic SQL or the Empress ODBC Interface, to run at significantly greater speeds than ever before. Speed increases range from 300% for repeated Deletes, to over 1000% for Inserts.

Data Streaming allows large amounts of text or large binary objects (BLObs, bulk data) to be manipulated in small streams and within a greatly reduced memory space. Now a massive stream of data can be updated easily without loading or transferring the entire object, resulting in 2 times to 3 times throughput increases in LAN-based bulk data operations.

EMPRESS RDBMS V8.20 has broadened its operations into multiple development programming environments. For those who wish to write portable Java programs, Empress JDBC Interface Pure Java Client enables applications to run on any OS that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Empress-based applets can run inside any browser that conforms to the Javasoft specification for JVM. The Threadsafe feature enables developers to safely and transparently use Empress routines in multi-threaded programming. The Forksafe feature provides the capability to reinitialize Empress related resources between parent and child process; this allows parallel or asynchronous programming.

EMPRESS RDBMS V8.20 also offers connectivity with major third-party tools. These include Adobe FrameMaker, Allaire’s ColdFusion, Borland Delphi, MS FoxPro, MS Office (Access, Excel, Word), MS Query, MS Visual Basic, MS Visual C++, Rogue Wave DBTools.h++, Sybase PowerBuilder, and Sybase PowerDesigner (formerly S-Designor).

Empress Software develops and supports the EMPRESS Relational Database Management System. The EMPRESS RDBMS V8.20 is one of the most powerful and costeffective databases designed especially for embedded systems developers working with UNIX, Windows or real-time environments. Empress is used successfully in many fields, including image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems, telephony systems, multimedia applications, geographical information systems and network management.

For more information about Empress, please call 301-220-1919. Check our web site at www.empress.com or send email to info@empress.com. You can write to us at Empress Software, 6401 Golden Triangle Drive, Greenbelt, MD, 20770.

II. – SCD CERTIFIED AND VERIFIED TESTING ADDITIONS IN MARCH

The SPARC Compliant brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that systems so branded will work with any other product branded to the same level of the “SPARC Compliant Definition (SCD).” This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Compliant products.

ADDITIONS (System Products):

The SPARC Verified brand, awarded by SPARC International, assures end users that the peripherals they want to use will work on the SPARC Compliant systems they target. This list, updated monthly, includes changes made to the master list of SPARC Verified products.

ADDITIONS (Peripheral Verification Tested Products):

III. SPARCSHOP

SPARC-related documents are available through SPARC International’s bookstore, SPARCSHOP. Access to SPARCSHOP is available several ways,

1. email sparcshop@sparc.org
2. phone us at 1-408-748-9111 x240

Currently available

SPARC International promotes the design, development and application of SPARC to computer and peripheral products; establishes hardware and software standards; enables compatibility across SPARC-branded products; and provides, promotes and protects SPARC and SPARC-related brand names.

SPARC International has verified to the best of its ability all of the product information contained in this newsletter. Information in this newsletter has been provided by the vendors. SPARC International has not reviewed claims made about product features or functions, and is not responsible for the accuracy of such claims. Users may want to obtain references, documentation, and/or demonstrations before purchasing any products or services. No vendor is authorized to act as an agent of SPARC International, or to make any representations or warranties on SPARC International’s behalf.

The following are Registered^® Trademarks of SPARC International, Inc.:

Other Trademarks that are in use or Pending Registration include:

Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.